This turn-of-the-century oil painting by Danish artist Oluf Simony-Jensen (1864-1923) depicts a group of old friends playing cards. It’s a regular event, with each figure immersed in the game. On the left, a bearded gentleman with a cigar leans over to consider the hand of another. While on the right, a bespectacled fellow is distracted from his newspaper.

Simony-Jensen painted several versions of this scene and some were referred to as a ‘gentlemen's club’ or cafe. It’s plausible that this is a study ahead of the finished work, which possibly sold at Sotheby’s in 1989.

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Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 44½” x 32½” / 113cm x 82cm
Year of creation: c. 1900
Condition: Artwork presents well. Fine craquelure but the paint is stable. Canvas relined. Frame with some light wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £4,000 achieved for an oil painting in 1989.