An ensign seated by a barrel in a guardroom, officers playing at cards by a chimney beyond

The present lot is a fine example of the kortegaard genre, of which the artist, active in Utrecht, was the foremost exponent. Women play a major role in his kortegaard scenes of the 1630's and 1640's. They are often depicted as courting with ensigns, who were selected in the civic military companies for their handsome appearances. As pointed out by Salomon, op. cit., p.57, Duck introduced a different type of guardroom interior from the early 1640's, eliminating female presence and focusing on the almost domestic atmosphere in the guardroom. The present lot, Duck's last dated picture, is a typical example of his late oeuvre, where the master has reached his refined idiom and where the moral implications are less pointed.