The Boardgame "Tocadille" (c. 1750)

Board games became popular in court circles as a form of diversion and social interaction. The Spanish board game "Tocadille" was a more complicated version of the German "Puff." It was also related to backgammon and involved dice and Damen (ladies, or queen pieces). Although the image features both male and female players, the caption’s double entendre speaks predominantly to the former: "Anyone playing Tocadille is eager to win. And anyone making a move with the ladies needs to keep all his wits about him." Copperplate engraving by Johann Esaias Nilson (1721-88), c. 1750.

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© Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz / Kunstbibliothek, SMB
Original: Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin