Art Collections Online

A House of Cards

HOGARTH, William (1697 - 1764)

A House of Cards

Date: 1730

Media: oil on canvas

Size: 64.3 x 76.5 cm

Acquired: 1988; Gift; Accepted by H.M. Government in lieu of inheritance tax

Accession Number: NMW A 93

Born in London, where he trained as an engraver and a painter, Hogarth was a celebrated portraitist and the creator of modern, moral subjects. These interests combine in this pair of conversation pieces of an unidentified group of children, painted in about 1730.

Comments (1)

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Jef Page
23 October 2021, 10:07
In Hogarth's painting " A House of Cards" in the NM Wales collection, the label beside the picture says that the Ace of Spades that the child holds was a death card.
However, in his picture "The Assembly at Wanstead House, also painted around 1730 (Philadelphia Museum of Art), the Ace of Spades that Dorothy Childs holds is referred to as a top honour card or a winning marriage.
They both can't be right though symbols over time and in paintings do change?
Can you please let me know how your reference to Ace came about and any other information. We enjoyed walking around the art collection very much.
Best wishes
Jef Page.
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