Description of the picture:
Billiards – Louis Leopold Boilli. 1807. Oil on canvas. 56×81
French painter Louis Leopold Boilly (1761-1845) specialized mainly in chamber genre scenes and portraits. He so accurately wrote out the details of the world around him that from his works one can study the interiors, fashion and customs of the times of the Consulate, Directory and the First Empire.
After the revolution, many cafes and inexpensive restaurants appeared, where people could meet, make new acquaintances, talk, and discuss the latest news. Such establishments also included billiard rooms, spacious halls in which, after drinking a cup of tea and chatting with friends, one could have fun which became extremely popular after 1789. In the hall, lit by the overhead light, giving the artist the opportunity to make a number of accents, a very colorful society is depicted. The main characters are players and billiards..
Attention is drawn to a young lady in a fashionable white dress, about to strike a cue. It is closely watched by people around the table.
On the right side of the picture, the ladies are flirting with the gentleman, another group concentrated at the coffee table, nursing mothers and playing children are also busy with their own affairs and do not pay attention to the game. The colors of the canvas are dominated by delicate paints, female figures in translucent dresses are elegant and graceful.
It is interesting to note that billiards, the favorite game of the executed king Louis XVI, at first were exclusively fond of men. After the revolution, mores became more free."
