This raucous, large-format scene takes place inside an inn, where two peasants are about to attack each other with knives pulled in the midst of a card game. The seated peasant on the right is held in check by the man next to him, and the boisterous, standing peasant on the left is restrained by a woman. In the foreground, a child raises his hand as if to order the unruly adults to stop the brawl. Playing cards are strewn on the floor, while a dog hides under the table. The man on the far right of the composition reaches for a poker, perhaps in self-defense, as an old man looks on. Van Ostade was known for his peasant scenes which carried a moralizing message.
