Table "Twelfth Night the King Drinks" copy after David Teniers "800"

Oil on panel. The painting is a revised copy of the famous work by David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690), executed between 1634 and 1640 and currently housed in the Prado Museum in Madrid. The title of the lively scene refers to the so-called Twelfth Night, a celebration corresponding to Epiphany, precisely twelve days after Christmas, which was the last night of festivities, during which one could drink beyond their limits, indulge in love, and exchange partners and genders, a sort of carnival, during which the King of Misrule was elected, a topsy-turvy sovereign who imposed his laws by subverting rules and behaviours. This work, like many others by Teniers, enjoyed such success, linked to numerous commissions from royalty and aristocracy in the 18th century, that it led to significant posthumous production by copyists, many of whom even signed the artist's name. The painting presented here has several losses of pictorial material that need restoration. It is in a frame from the late 19th century, adapted to the dimensions.