Page 78 - Highlights of the Collection
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Francis Cotes [1726-70]
Portrait of William
and Penelope Welby
Playing Chess
United Kingdom, 1769
135 × 152 cm, oil on canvas
Portraitist to the English royal family, Francis Cotes
was at the height of his career when he painted this
young English couple playing chess. The choice of
subject bears witness to the growing interest in marital
intimacy. The composition of the painting draws our
attention to the mahogany table on which we see the Highlights of the Collection
figures of a chess set, a game fashionable at that time.
The match would seem to have a certain symbolism,
with just the two kings remaining on the board,
symbolising a draw between the couple. The work was
very modern for the period, as characterised by the use Louvre Abu Dhabi
of lively colours, the refinement of the materials and
the décor.
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