« The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes »

Abstract

In early seventeenth-century Europe, still troubled and wounded by the religious rifts originating in the Protestants Reformations, it is no wonder to see an English engraver transform an international political event such as the Twelve Years Truce into a victory of the Protestants against the Catholics. However, the use of the gaming metaphor (backgammon, cards and dice) in The Revells of Christendom complicates the interpretation of this satirical engraving, published when the contemporary English debates on the lawfulness of games of chance gave rise to many treatises. The presence of chance – symbolized by the three games represented there – compels us to question the vision of history underlying this engraving of Dutch origin, which went through several versions in England. The same questioning also arises in other engravings published in seventeenth-century Europe during the conflicts of the Thirty Years War and other later wars, the commercial motives of which vied with religious ones.

Keywords

• Thomas Cockson
• Peter van der Heyden
• cards
• dice
• chess
• gambling