The Union Club

Oil on Canvas, signed Herbert Kӧnig München lower right

Framed 24 x 32 in.

Gift of Mrs. L.W. Blythe in memory of her husband, former Union Club treasurer L.W. Blythe

German genre painter Hein Kӧnig specialized in scenes of men enjoying drinking, smoking and card playing. Although he lived well into the 20th century, and ran a successful private painting academy in Munich, Kӧnig painted such subjects in a 19th century style. Looking closely at this fine example of his manner, one can see that the man on the left is cheating at cards: he has a stash of cards in reserve on a ledge just below the table. A glance at the outstanding hand of his opponent, however, makes it plainly clear that if the man tries to cheat by playing “auxiliary” aces he will be discovered. His opponent holds the legitimate ones. Paintings such as these with a gently moralizing tone derive from 17th century subject matter favored by Italians and Northern Europeans alike. It is wonderfully noteworthy that this painting was formerly in the personal collection of L.W. Blythe who served as secretary on the Ohio State Board of Accountancy and Union Club Treasurer.