[BILLIARDS]

Nouvelles Règles de la poule à Deux Billes, Rédigées D'après les Avis des Plus Forts Joueurs de Rouen, et Publiées par N. Godin, Fabricant de Billards [New Rules for the Two-Ball 'Poule,' Drawn Up on the Advice of the Best Players of Rouen, and Published by N. Godin, Manufacturer of Billiard Tables]

Rouen: publiées par N. Godin, fabricant de billards, [circa 1840]. Illustrated letterpress broadside, with a large engraving of a group of gentlemen shooting billiards, engraved by Enault. Text in six columns listing 47 rules. Sheet size: 22 1/2 x 18 1/4 inches.

Fine and rare instructional broadside for the French two-ball billiards game, illustrated with a large and lively billiard-salon scene.

This attractive broadside combines a detailed set of regulations with a finely engraved vignette depicting a fashionable mid-19th-century billiard room. The image depicts a group of elegantly dressed players and spectators gathered around a richly carved table, complete with hanging gas lamps, wall clocks, cues, and period furnishings. The artist's attention to costume and interior detail offers a vivid glimpse into the sporting and social culture of provincial France in the 1830s-40s. Published by N. Godin, a billiard-table manufacturer as stated on the imprint, the broadside advertises both his expertise and his connection with the city's top players: the rules are explicitly noted as having been drafted "according to the advice of the strongest players (plus forts joueurs) of Rouen." Godin's imprint appears at lower right, "Chez l'Auteur, N. Godin," reinforcing its role as both instructional sheet and promotional display item, likely intended for hanging in cafés, gaming rooms, and billiard halls. A scarce and visually engaging document of mid-19th century French billiard culture, mechanics, and play.

Item #33421

Price: $950.00