Board games from the city of Vijayanagara (Hampi ... - Gioco dell'Oca.
Board games from the city of Vijayanagara (Hampi ... - Gioco dell'Oca.
Board games from the city of Vijayanagara (Hampi ... - Gioco dell'Oca.
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42<br />
B OARD G AME S TUDIES 6, 2003<br />
century, so <strong>the</strong>se <strong>games</strong> tables could be presents <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> Emperor Leopold I to his ally<br />
and son-in-law Max Emanuel (Sangl, 1997).<br />
The topics on those three <strong>games</strong> tables cannot only be explained by personal success<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> electoral prince Max Emanuel. In <strong>the</strong> 17th century, war and military were important<br />
topics, and contemporary or historical battles, especially <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Roman empire, were<br />
frequently depicted. This was not only <strong>the</strong> case in fine arts, but also in applied arts, especially<br />
in <strong>the</strong> relief carvings <strong>from</strong> Eger, where military topics were <strong>of</strong>ten applied on board<br />
<strong>games</strong>. In <strong>the</strong> second half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 17th century, when Christian Europe was endangered<br />
by <strong>the</strong> Ottomans, battles between Turks and Christians but also battles taken <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Bible were supposed to depict <strong>the</strong> superiority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Christian belief. Especially towards<br />
<strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 17th century, when <strong>the</strong> armies <strong>of</strong> Emperor Leopold I had military success<br />
against <strong>the</strong> Turks, this topic was used more <strong>of</strong>ten by Eger artists, also on board<br />
<strong>games</strong>, where relief carvings with military scenes were inlaid on <strong>the</strong> front, but also inside<br />
<strong>the</strong> backgammon-board, where <strong>the</strong> triangles <strong>of</strong>ten where shaped as obelisks with war<br />
trophies, and <strong>the</strong> frieze between <strong>the</strong> spaces could depict miniature scenes <strong>of</strong> land and sea<br />
battles (Voigt, 1999).<br />
Plate 4: Games table, Carl Maximilian Mattern and Johann Wolfgang von Auwera,<br />
1741/42.Würzburg, Residence. Materials: carved and gilded wood, glass with eglomisétechnique.<br />
81 cm x 108 cm x 78 cm, Inv. Nr. M 27. © Bayerische Verwaltung der<br />
Staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen.