Skill Collection (page 8)

The fighting games of barres, or couppeteste
The fighting game of barres or Ostrachynda was played between teams of combatants in a defined area, 16th century. The players shouted couppeteste as they fought. Others can be seen playing leapfrog

Children sledding and skating on ice (traineaux), early 19th century. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill (Sports et Jeux d Adresse), Librairie Hachette, Paris, 1903

Ice skating and sledding on a glacier near Gentilly, 18th century. Handcoloured lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill (Sports et Jeux d Adresse), Librairie Hachette, Paris

Boys sliding on ice (glissoire) and sledding on ice (traisneau), after an engraving by Claudine Bouzonnet Stella, 17th century

Boys learning to fence with a fencing master in breastplate holding an epee. From the fencing lesson by Jean-Henri Marlet in le Bon Genie, 1829

Boys running and climbing over an obstacle course at a sports event, 19th century. Handcoloured heliotype lithograph by Fortier-Marotte from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill

A formal ball dance in the 17th century. Men and women dancing in a circle at right, and men lining up in front of women across the hall at left

Children dancing in front of a dance master holding a violin and bow. From the dance lesson by Jean-Henri Marlet in le Bon Genie, 1826

Peasants dancing in a clearing to music from a recorder and bagpipes. After an engraving by Claudine Bouzonnet Stella, 17th century

A ballroom scene (top) and sailors and peasants dancing the fashionable waltz during the French Revolutionary era. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill

Boys playing tug-of-war with batons and dancing
Boys playing tug-of-war with batons (covet baston) and dancing to music (danse), after an engraving by Claudine Bouzonnet Stella, 17th century

Boys racing to grab a victory wreath from a young girl
The prize of the sprint race. Boys racing to grab a victory wreath from a young girl. After an illustration by Jean-Henri Marlet in le Bon Genie, 1826

Medieval children playing a war game called I m on your land (je suis sur ta terre, vilain), others playing croquet, and others trying to hit each other while tied back to back

Boys playing king of the castle (assaut du chasteau) and battle (bataille), after an engraving by Claudine Bouzonnet Stella, 17th century

Boys playing handstands (culbute) and boxing (lutte), after an engraving by Claudine Bouzonnet Stella, 17th century. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill

Boys playing handstands (culbute) and fart-in-the-face (pet-en-gueule), after an engraving by Claudine Bouzonnet Stella, 17th century

Boys playing the game of piggyback horseriding
Five boys playing the game of piggyback horseriding, le cheval fondu. From an illustration by Francois Boucher engraved by Huquier, 1765

Boys playing the game of cheval fondu, leap-frog or horseplay. From an illustration by Jean-Henri Marlet from le Bon Genie, 1826

Peasant boys playing coupe-tete or leap-frog, 18th century
Peasant boys playing coupe-tete or leap-frog in front of a farmhouse. After an engraving by Augustin de Saint-Aubin, 18th century

Medieval men playing the game of franc-carreau, by throwing a coin onto a square, others playing a similar game with a round tile

Girls skipping rope in a garden, 19th century. Handcoloured lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill (Sports et Jeux d Adresse), Librairie Hachette, Paris, 1903

Acrobat performing a backward somersault on two trestles. From a woodcut by Arcangelo Tuccaro, 1599. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill (Sports et Jeux d Adresse)

The game of ivory spinning top, Toton or Pirouette. A hand emerging from a cloud to spin a top on a marble plinth. From a book of emblems from the 16th century

Acrobat performing somersaults on a chair and bench. From a woodcut by Arcangelo Tuccaro, 1599. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill (Sports et Jeux d Adresse)

Four street urchins skipping rope in an alley, 18th century
Four street urchins skipping rope in an alley. From an engraving by Augustin de Saint-Albin, 18th century. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill (Sports et Jeux d Adresse)

Monkeys playing golf, skittles, hoops, croquet, leapfrog, ball games, stiltwalking, archery, spinning tops, popinjay, etc. From a 16th century print

Men playing skittles in a pub garden, late 18th century
Men playing the game of skittles (quilles) in a pub garden. One man clutches his shin after it has been hit by the bowling ball. From an English caricature of the late 18th century

Medieval Europeans and Siamese women playing skittles
Medieval noble women playing skittles on a castle terrace, and Siamese women playing skittles. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill (Sports et Jeux d Adresse)

The fairground game of quoits or hoopla, jeu du lapin, 1815. Satirical print by showing the Duke of Wellington winning Napoleon Bonaparte as the prize

Five old men play a game of boules or bowls, circa 1800. Copied from Martinets Caricatures Parisiennes. Handcoloured lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill

Villagers playing a game of skittles, 17th century
Villagers playing a game of skittles, while others watch from a swing. From a print by Claudine Bouzonnet Stella, 17th century

The game of spinning top in Russia, early 19th century. A youth spins a top on the ground in front of a crowd of onlookers

Score table for the game of pool (la poule), a round robin variant of billiards played with two cue balls from the early 19th century

The Duchess of Burgundy playing billiards, 18th century
Louis XIV returning from a hunt to find the Duchess of Burgundy playing billiards. From an engraving published by Bonnard, 1704

The royal game of billiards between Louis XIV and Michel Chamillard in the third apartment. After an engraving by Antoine Trouvain, 1698

The royal game of fortifications, table billiards
The royal game of fortifications, 18th century. Louis XIVs three sons use cue sticks to hit balls through a fortress and onto a fortified structure

The game of ground billiards, 16th century. Men use clubs to hit balls between hoops, in a mix of billiards, golf and croquet

Villagers playing croquet or clos-porte, 16th century
Villagers playing croquet or clos-porte with mallets and large balls, 16th century. After a painting by Breughel. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill

Soldiers and old men playing boules or petanque on a field, Napoleonic era. After an illustration by Carle Vernet. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill

Medieval men bowling and playing marbles
Medieval men bowling down a hill, while others play la fossette, wherein they try to throw as many marbles into a hole as possible

Boys playing the game of marbles called la fossette, wherein they try to throw as many marbles into a hole as possible. From an engraving by Augustin de Saint-Aubin, 19th century

Boys playing marbles on a street corner. In the game of bloquette, players try to throw marbles into a hole. Handcoloured lithograph by Ge Engelmann from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports

Fashionable people playing the game of ring toss, 1818
Fashionable people playing the game of ring toss, la bague volante, from an engraving in le Bon Genre, 1818. Lithograph from Henry Rene Allemagnes Sports and Games of Skill (Sports et Jeux d Adresse)

Ladies playing badminton in a garden, 1817
Elegant ladies or meveilleuses playing badminton in a garden. Several have their hair in the fashionable short cut known as the martyr or victime

Medieval men playing wall tennis, checkers and hoops
Medieval men bat a ball against a board mounted on a wall (wall tennis or pelota?), some play drafts or checkers, others roll hoops and jump through hoops

Fops and dandies playing paume, real tennis, Napoleonic era
Fops and dandies (incroyables) playing the game of paume, real tennis, in the Napoleonic era. After a caricature in le Bon Genre

The game of longue paume, lawn tennis, 17th century
The game of longue paume, lawn tennis, played in a park in Paris, 17th century. From an engraving by Israel Sylvestre, 1655

Dancers on stilts in the Champs Elysees. A family of street entertainers, the country folks of Landes, perform while mother bangs a drum and father directs on horseback

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