La Tour was a 17th century French
Baroque painter who specialised in candlelit scenes such as that depicted in The Dice Players. Both he and his family
died in an epidemic in 1652 – the painting in question being very probably his
last work. He was soon forgotten to history, until after World War II, when a
revival of interest began.
His works, though, were difficult to pin down and/or identify. The Dice Players,
for example, was left to Stockton Borough by a local resident in 1930, and
nothing much was thought of it at the time. The importance of the canvas was
not realised until the 1970s, when it was properly identified.
[N.B. The
painting has been loaned out to various galleries of late – e.g. the Shipley in
Gateshead – but will presumably be reinstated at Preston Hall Museum
Remember, if you'd like to submit a short article for the 'North-East History Tour' then see the link at the top of the page. Anyone can do it!
Posts
