The Four Times of Day: Afternoon

Afternoon (L'Après-Dinée) is the third in Lancret’s series of paintings The Four Times of Day. A gentleman and three ladies, who resemble those in Midday but are perhaps now a little older, are gathered around a tric-trac table in a woodland glade. Tric-trac was a game similar to backgammon. It may be only a coincidence but Lancret’s painting was made at about the same time as the publication in 1739 of the first edition of Soumille’s book Le Grand Trictrac, which describes the rules and techniques of the game.Gaming was enjoyed both in the afternoons and the evenings in affluent French circles at this time. However, games of luck including gambling were prohibited other than in private houses and on a moderate scale. Tric-trac was a game of skill rather than merely luck, so it did not fall into this category.The gentleman and a lady are playing at the table – the lady has just thrown the dice from her horn cup and has a double, which carries the potential for extra points. She appears to have moved her scoring peg to the fourth or fifth hole (the equivalent of 48 or 60 points), while the man’s scoring peg is only on the second hole (24 points). The gentleman looks back over his shoulder at one of the ladies and gestures to the counters on the board, perhaps to ask advice on his next move or to question the rules.The series of paintings was etched and engraved in reverse by Nicolas de Larmessin III and presented to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1741. The verse on Larmessin’s print of this painting translates as: ‘This game demands study and luck / Love also depends on chance and its cares: / When there’s an argument in a case like this, one seeks witnesses / In other circumstances three’s a crowd.’ The verses also suggest a parallel between a game of tric-trac and a love affair. The painting continues the themes of time and love expressed in the earlier pictures of the series.Lancret made adjustments to the composition during painting, possibly adding the lady in pink last of all.