| A busy tavern. The customers are sitting outside and enjoying their
food and drink. Under a roof two men are playing a game of shuffleboard.
Another man holding a pitcher of beer watches. The man in the foreground
takes no interest in all this; he has his back turned to everyone and goes
on smoking his pipe imperturbably.
On the left, part of a court can be seen where pall mall, a forerunner
of croquet, was played with sticks and large wooden balls. The title of
the drawing is taken from this court. This scene was drawn by Adriaen van
Ostade. It was done with a pen in brown ink, to which washes in brown and
grey were later added. |
