18th Century Pastel, Young Boy Playing A Shuttlecock Dressed In Blue, Louis XVI Period.

18th century pastel portrait of a young boy elegantly dressed in blue, wearing a fancy hat with a large white feather; a child playing “shuttlecock”, holding his racket with wide strings in one hand and the white feathered shuttlecock in the other. In the 18th century, the game of shuttlecock, already played in antiquity and the Renaissance, was one of the outdoor games, in living rooms or closed rooms, played by people of the world in groups of 2 or 4. Louis XIV himself played it, preferring it to tennis, which he considered too violent. This game was played with perfectly established rules, replacing tennis because it was more enjoyable for young people and women, which was also considered by JJ Rousseau under Louis XV. It was in the 19th century that this game took the name of the town of Badminton in England, which organized competitions there and since then shuttlecock or badminton has been played. Beautiful 18th century pastel in very good condition placed under its glass and its original frame. Note a very tiny tear at the bottom which does not affect in any way what this portrait offers us. (See photos).
 Époque Louis 16.