Quadrille Pool
ca. 1780-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This bowl, held together loosely by cords, was almost certainly designed as a 'Quadrille pool' or a container for ivory or mother-of-pearl gaming counters. Quadrille became a fashionable card game in the 1720s and remained popular throughout Europe until the early 19th century. It was particularly favoured by women. Players might have their own boxes of gaming counters, often in sets of four. The four players might stake large numbers of counters during a game and such 'pools' kept them orderly on the card table. The fine painting on this one is still in very good condition, except on the inside of the base, where it will have been damaged by the sharp edges of the counters. The painting includes delicate scenes in Chinoiserie style, including trees and imagined Chinese figures.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wood, painted |
| Brief description | Of wood, with separate base and eight sides, held together by cords; inner and outer surfaces are painted with Chinoiserie decoration, alternate panels painted in white on a blue ground, or reddish-brown on a white ground |
| Physical description | Of flat sections of wood, an octagonal base, with 8 shaped side pieces, loosely attached to each other with cords; decorated with Chinoiserie motifs, alternate panels painted in white on a blue ground or reddish-brown on a white ground |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | X.43 (Marked in ink on base.) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Fowler |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This bowl, held together loosely by cords, was almost certainly designed as a 'Quadrille pool' or a container for ivory or mother-of-pearl gaming counters. Quadrille became a fashionable card game in the 1720s and remained popular throughout Europe until the early 19th century. It was particularly favoured by women. Players might have their own boxes of gaming counters, often in sets of four. The four players might stake large numbers of counters during a game and such 'pools' kept them orderly on the card table. The fine painting on this one is still in very good condition, except on the inside of the base, where it will have been damaged by the sharp edges of the counters. The painting includes delicate scenes in Chinoiserie style, including trees and imagined Chinese figures. |
| Bibliographic reference | Elizabeth Miller and Hilary Young, eds., The Arts of Living. Europe 1600-1815. V&A Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 978 1 85177 807 2, illustrated p. 171. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.14-1978 |
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| Record created | April 2, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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