The plastic arts give us details about draughts in the past, delivers for example the answer on our question in which sections of the population draughts was played. To be able to write a well-founded history of the game, an iconography of draughts is of great importance. See below for a list of pictures on draughts. The reader is asked to mail additional items to the author of this site.
Middle Ages
M1. English, 14th c.: Two draughts (?) playing women (more plausible: chess playing women). [Picture in Georges Warner “Miniatures and drawings by an English artist of the 14th (...) Queen Mary’s psalter”, London 1912:216]
M2. French, between 1450 and 1475: draughts players on the foredeck of a ship. [Picture in M.B. Synge “Ontdekkingsreizen” (cover), 1973, 1978; G. Asaert “Westeuropese scheepvaart in de middeleeuwen”, 1974:129; Teleac “Steden des tijds”, 1990:128; Het Nieuwe Damspel 1992:48].
M3. Flemish, draughts playing apes. Miniature in a prayer book from Doornik, 1407. [Library of Cambrai (Fr.), ms 104 fo. 106; picture in Stoep 2005:122]
M4. French, early 15th c. [unknown source; picture in Stoep 1984:66 and 1997:177].
(to be continued)
M4