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Lot Essay
JEAN DISCART WAS A GENRE PAINTER WHO WORKED PREDOMINANTLY IN PARIS AND VIENNA DURING THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, EXHIBITING AT THE PARIS SALON BETWEEN 1884 AND 1888. HE WAS ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN DEPICTING THE PEOPLE AND SOCIETY OF MOROCCO.
THE TWO GENTLEMEN PORTRAYED IN THIS PAINTING ARE MOST PROBABLY PLAYING THE ORIENTAL VERSION OF DRAUGHTS WHICH DIFFERS FROM ALL OTHER MODERN VARIETIES OF THE GAME. THE SIXTEEN PIECES DISTRIBUTED TO EACH PLAYER ARE PLACED, NOT ON THE BACK ROWS, BUT ON THE SECOND AND THIRD BACK ROWS AND THEY MOVE HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY, NOT DIAGONALLY. THE WHOLE GAME IS MORE AGGRESSIVE AND ATTACKING THAN EUROPEAN VERSIONS; CAPTURING YOUR OPPONENT'S PIECES IS COMPULSORY AT ALL TIMES REGARDLESS OF DEFENSIVE POSITION.
THE TWO GENTLEMEN PORTRAYED IN THIS PAINTING ARE MOST PROBABLY PLAYING THE ORIENTAL VERSION OF DRAUGHTS WHICH DIFFERS FROM ALL OTHER MODERN VARIETIES OF THE GAME. THE SIXTEEN PIECES DISTRIBUTED TO EACH PLAYER ARE PLACED, NOT ON THE BACK ROWS, BUT ON THE SECOND AND THIRD BACK ROWS AND THEY MOVE HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY, NOT DIAGONALLY. THE WHOLE GAME IS MORE AGGRESSIVE AND ATTACKING THAN EUROPEAN VERSIONS; CAPTURING YOUR OPPONENT'S PIECES IS COMPULSORY AT ALL TIMES REGARDLESS OF DEFENSIVE POSITION.