As one of the oldest pastimes in recorded human history, there is perhaps little surprise that gambling has featured in so many different forms of artistic expression throughout the ages. Despite this, relatively little attention has been paid to representations of gambling in painting, with art historians preferring the more traditional themes on which to focus.

Throughout history, various forms of gambling and betting have been depicted in paintings, with everything from informal street games, epic horse races, and tense card games having been shown in a range of styles and genres. And there are plenty of good reasons for this, not least of all that the very nature of gambling seems to evoke such strong emotions in the viewer. Gambling also tends to have a range of intense emotions that make it perfect for capturing in pictorial form, with everything from excitement, rage, joy, sadness, euphoria, and suspense present at any point during a single game.

The desire to portray gambling in art is also connected to a desire to depict life in all its most basic forms. And this also extends to a pastime such as gambling, which has long been present in human society. One may even argue that Caravaggio, one of painting’s greatest artists, got his break because of The Cardsharps.

This short article will give you a brief overview of some of the lesser-known depictions of gambling by artists.

‘Before the Race’ – Edgar Degas (1882-8)

Although horse racing has long been present in human society throughout history—with close connections to military training—it became popularised in the form most familiar to us today in the 19th Century under Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III.

In this context, the French impressionist painter Edgar Degas produced one of his more famous works, ‘Before the Race.’

Degas was a massive fan of horses and frequently depicted the equine form in his works. And throughout his career, he reportedly produced 45 oils, 20 pastels, 250 drawings, and seven sculptures related to horses.

Of this, ‘Before the Race’ is perhaps his most well-loved, which depicts the fleeting moments before the start of a horse race. It forms part of a triad of identically-titled paintings produced in the early 1880s, which clearly show his love for horses, as well as horse racing.

‘The Cardsharps’ – Caravaggio (1594)

As one of the true masters of the craft, you would be hard-pressed to avoid including Caravaggio’s ‘The Cardsharps’ on a list of the most famous and well-loved depictions of gambling.

Produced around 1594, ‘The Cardsharps’ is a classic of the baroque era. In terms of how it sits within his larger body of work, it represents an important work for Caravaggio, given that it was painted when he first set out to establish an independent career after he left the workshop of Cavaliere Giuseppe Cesari d’Arpino.

In this regard, it is important from a thematic and compositional perspective as it marked a departure from the “flowers and fruit” work Caravaggio had previously been undertaking for his workshop master.

‘The Cardsharps’ has a wonderful composition—as you would expect from Caravaggio—and depicts a more treacherous side to gambling, with the boy in the foreground attempting to hide cards just out of sight.

‘Dogs Playing Poker’ – Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (1894)

Painted in 1894 by the American artist ‘Kash’ Koolidge, ‘Dogs Playing Poker’ is perhaps one of the most well-known artistic depictions of gambling.

Although the name is most often associated with the 1894 oil painting, it is one part of a series of 16 oil paintings commissioned by a cigar company, as well as a later 1910 painting.

All paintings in the series are variations of a group of heavily anthropomorphized dogs sitting around a card table. Beyond the strange sight of a bunch of dogs playing a game of poker—some of whom are dressed in human clothes—perhaps what makes this painting so iconic is the perspective adopted. And Coolidge does an excellent job of positioning the dogs in such that it seems as if they are scowling at the viewer for interrupting their game.

Thanks to its reproduction as a kitsch home decoration, ‘Dogs Playing Poker’ has proved incredibly popular, if not iconic, and sold for $658,000 at a 2015 auction.

‘The Lady’s Last Stake’ – William Hogarth (1759)

Painted in 1759 by the English artist William Hogarth, ‘The Lady’s Last Stake’ is a classic of the era that has proved popular amongst those interested in art that blends social commentary and satire.

The painting itself is a conversation piece—meaning a painting depicting a glimpse of a conversation—and captures a moment during a piquet game when the woman must make a difficult decision.

The woman depicted has supposedly just lost her fortune to the male portrayed in the painting and must decide whether she wants to continue playing and risk further losses or give in to the man’s advances and accept him as her lover.

‘The Card Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds’ – Georges de la Tour (1636-38)

Produced between 1636 and 1638 and now proudly hanging in the Louvre with many other great artistic works, Georgius De La Tour’s ‘The Card Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds’ is a true classic of the genre.

It depicts a card game in which the other players take advantage of a seemingly well-off young man in ostentatious dress. The ‘Card Sharp’ referred to in the title is depicted as producing cards from behind his back that will allow him to win the game and extract more money from the young man.

Produced over a few decades, Caravaggio’s work has many thematic and compositional similarities to the 1594 ‘The Cardsharps.’

Artistic depictions of gambling—here to stay?

As we have seen, numerous painters across the ages have attempted to portray the heightened emotions associated with gambling. Part of what makes this a fascinating topic for exploration is how universal it is, with every human culture having developed its unique forms of gambling throughout history. And it is the combination of the complex emotions associated with gambling and the universal quality of them that makes these depictions so fascinating. With all that said, we have little doubt that gambling will continue to be a popular subject matter with artists for many generations to come—perhaps even as the art world comes to terms with the rise of NFTs!