The predecessors of billiards, games with balls, have been popular among people since ancient times. This is reflected in early paintings. For example, an antique fresco shows the pharaoh Thutmose playing a kind of billiards. In the Middle Ages, traces of the game were also found in palace paintings and embroidery on tapestries.
Billiards in famous works
The billiards theme was particularly prevalent in Western European art of the 17th and 18th centuries. Painters and sculptors from England, France and Germany depicted the game as a sign of prosperity. Over time, from the mid-18th and early 19th centuries, billiards began to take on philosophical overtones. The entertainment involved many players, as in battle scenes.
The canvas “Billiards” by the artist L.L. Bulanyi, painted in 1807, became one of the most famous pictures on the theme. Critics and the artist’s contemporaries called it a bright and realistic illustration of Napoleonic times. But even today, billiard lovers appreciate this masterpiece. It has become an international symbol.
The paintings depicting billiards are collected in the ” The Billiard Encyclopedia”, published in 1994 in the US. It contains reproductions of paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
An object in the form of a billiard table can be seen in the State Historical Museum. It was made by French craftsmen in the 19th century. Noble gold and silver metals were used together with velvet, mother-of-pearl and glass details. The refinement and splendor of the work reflect a reverence for the game.
Another masterpiece is located in the State Museum of Fine Arts. It is a painting in the hand of Van Gogh, ‘Night Café in Arles’. The gaming table can be seen in the background. Yet it is an integral part of the interior of the place depicted. Such cafés were ambassadors of the fashion of the day. The picture therefore gives us an idea of how widespread the game was.
The significance of the billiards image in art
The diversity of works on the subject of billiards is not only a testimony to the popularity of the game throughout the ages. From these masterpieces, it is possible to trace the evolution of billiards, its development and its introduction to the masses.
At the beginning of its journey, the game was played on the ground, as billiard tables had not yet been invented in ancient times. Later on, however, it went from being a mere pastime to inspiring famous painters and sculptors, who made billiards famous in the world of fine arts.