CHATSWORTH FINE ART SALE April 29th, 30th & May 1st 2026

111 Fonsie Mealy’s Est. 1934 “The Card Players,”O.O.C., 109cms x 147cms (43” x 58”). (1) Provenance: The Murnaghan Collection, 14th October 1999, Lot 353 – Mealys/Christies.
Against a dark background, two men and two women are seated around a table, playing a game of cards. Standing on the right is a third man, perhaps a waiter. Apart from him, those at the table are dressed in a way that indicates high social status. On the left, wearing a feathered hat, red cloak and ceremonial military uniform, a man holds his cards at arms’ length, while his female companion leans forward, sharing her cards with him. He, on the other hand, prefers to keep his cards hidden. On the right, a man leans sideways to catch a glimpse of his companion’s cards. Although the two couples are ostensibly enjoying a game, there is a hint of hidden tensions. As with most Dutch art of the seventeenth century, the scene has a moral message, with card games being seen as a metaphor for the game of love, life and marriage.
Born in Antwerp in 1600, Jan Cossiers was the son of a watercolour painter, under whom he studied, before moving to the studio of Cornelis de Vos. His early works were in the style of Caravaggio, and he specialised in genre subjects and tavern scenes. In 1623 he travelled to Aix-en-Provence in France, where he studied under Abraham de Vries. The following year found him in Rome, where he encountered at first hand the works of Caravaggio. He then returned to Aix-en-Provence, working alongside other Dutch artists, including Simon de Vos and Johan Geerlof. Returning to Antwerp in 1627, two years later Cossiers was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke. He then worked with Rubens, assisting him in several projects, including the Torre de la Parada, a hunting lodge near Madrid. After the death of Rubens in 1640, Cossiers became dean of the local Guild of St. Luke and one of the leading Counter- Reformation painters in Flanders, specialising in religious subjects and portraits. Highly-regarded for his skilled use of colour, he was also an exceptional draughtsman, and in 1658 made a series of portrait studies of his family members—he and his second wife Maria van der Willigen had eleven children. He died in Antwerp in 1671. Peter Murray 2026 €7,000 - €9,000 996. Attributed to Jan Cossiers (1600-1671)