International connections

The earliest evidence for the Game of the Goose [known as the Ganzenbord in modern Dutch, also Ganzenspel and Ganzenbordspel] and other printed board games in the Low Countries begins to appear in the first half of the 17th century. The relationship of these earliest games to those in England is of special interest. The close political, cultural and trading links between England and Holland meant that printed images were often crossing the channel, Dutch prints on subjects such as the Armada being an example. But the importance of Holland, and especially Amsterdam, as a centre of the international book and print production and trade meant that links across continental Europe were equally significant.

There are versions of the classic Game of the Goose produced in Antwerp and London whose iconography is essentially identical, raising the question of whether one was copied from the other, or whether a common ancestor was involved. These vertical-format versions of the Game of the Goose include interesting portrait medallions as decoration. The iconographic content of the medallions, initially identical as between Antwerp and London, diverges in later similar games produced in London and the Low Countries. Similarly interesting correspondences between versions of the Game of the Snake in England and Holland are also apparent. The first sections of the present chapter will concentrate on these international dimensions.

The popularity of the Game of the Goose and its derivatives in the Low Countries was, and still is, of the highest order. Some of the thematic variations, such as the historical games, paralleled those pioneered in France, and indeed the wide variety of themes found in Dutch games reflects an impressive international eclecticism. But other games, appearing in the 18th century, introduced distinctive national themes. This continued into the 19th century, when – for example − games concerned with technological advances appeared, having no parallel in other parts of Europe, as well as games for children with distinctive themes and modes of play. This continual updating of the game with specific themes is arguably the reason for the lasting popularity of the game in the Low Countries, as will be explored further in Part II of this book.