Harvard Art Museums > 1953.114: A Game of Hot Cockles Textile Arts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"A Game of Hot Cockles (After Jean-Baptiste Oudry) , 1953.114,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 11, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/215029. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1953.114 People After Jean-Baptiste Oudry, French (Paris 1686 - 1755 Beauvais) Title A Game of Hot Cockles Other Titles Former Title: Youths Frolicking in a Landscape Classification Textile Arts Work Type tapestry Date 1760s or 1770s Places Creation Place: Europe, France, Aubusson Period Almoravid period Culture French Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/215029 Physical Descriptions Medium Textile fibers Dimensions 256.5 x 381 cm (101 x 150 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Mrs. Nathaniel Bowditch Potter, gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1953 Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nathaniel Bowditch Potter Accession Year 1953 Object Number 1953.114 Division European and American Art Contact am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description The scene features a game of "hot cockles" (Fr. "la main chaude"). This game, which originated in the middle ages, involves a blindfolded person bent over with his head in the lap of a woman. The other players slap him on the hand that is tucked behind his back, and he has to guess who it is. When the person guesses correctly who slapped him, that person takes his place. The game is depicted in a contemporary painting (1767-1773) by Fragonard (National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1946.7.6) which includes a similar garden setting. One stage of the tapestry's composition is preserved in a drawing by Oudry on blue paper (Stockholm National Museum, no. 2890 / I863). This panel belonged to a series of "amusements champêtres" (see series info). The border is composed of linear gold bands with small flower bouquets at regular intervals. Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
