A Flemish wool and silk tapestry depicting men playing pallone. - image-1

Lot 1097 Dα

A Flemish wool and silk tapestry depicting men playing pallone.

Auction 1056 - overview Cologne
13.11.2015, 14:30 - Porcelain, Ceramics, Furniture, Bronzes, Carpets
Estimate: 6.000 € - 8.000 €
Result: 7.440 € (incl. premium)
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A Flemish wool and silk tapestry depicting men playing pallone.

Linen backing. Fragment of a larger piece with courtly figures playing the traditional ball game pallone and a stag hunt in the background. Heavily faded, repairs over insect damage, several small holes, the borders replaced. H 211, W 428 cm.
Ca. 1600.

The central motif of this tapestry is a team game also known as "gioco di pallone" or "pallone col bracciale", originated in Italy and was relatively popular throughout Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Two teams play against each other, hitting a large leather ball with metal studded wooden cylinders covering the players' arms - known as "bracciale". The team in whose side of the pitch the ball hits the ground gets a penalty point. The game was so popular in courtly circles during the 17th and 18th century that the bracciale even partially aquired eschatological meanings.

Literature

For the game, cf.: Himmelheber, Spiele, Munich/Berlin 1972, p.178.