A row over a game of cards has escalated into a duel. The sense of drama is heightened through the twisting, straining poses of the figures. With their literary counterpart in historical novels like The Three Musketeers, Meissonier’s pictures evoke a nostalgic vision of the past and were keenly sought after. The picture was the star of the Paris exhibition of 1855.

Purchased by the Emperor Napoleon III and presented to Prince Albert on his birthday, 26 August 1855

No. 70