No 4/274 The Indo-German Legacy Racquet 1648
- Berlin Tennis Gallery
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
The Indo-German Legacy Racquet belongs to a tradition of equipment used for early forms of court tennis, a game that enjoyed popularity among European aristocracy from the Renaissance onward. Such racquets were characterized by a rounded wooden head with a loosely strung gut mesh, typical of early court tennis equipment used in aristocratic circles during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Evidence of this distinctive racquet form appears in several mid-sixteenth-century depictions of French nobility. One of the earliest is the drawing of Charles Maximilian, later Charles IX of France, dated 1552, which shows the two-year-old prince holding a small racquet in his right hand. The image, attributed to the Clouet workshop in Paris, documents one of the first visual records of a strung frame used for courtly play. Similar portraits from the same period confirm that the racquet had already become part of aristocratic education and leisure culture. Archival references from the later sixteenth
century provide further context. By 1596, more than 250 jeu de paume courts were documented in and around Paris, serving both the royal household and the urban elite. Contemporary accounts mention specialized maîtres paumiers, craftsmen responsible for the manufacture of racquets, balls and gloves, whose trade was formally recognized within the Paris guild system. Surviving records show that these makers, especially in Normandy and the Île-de-France, produced racquet frames from seasoned hardwoods with remarkable accuracy to meet the demands of enclosed play.
In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years’ War and introduced a lasting system of international diplomacy, enabling states to maintain stable relations and commerce. Today, this racquet reflects the continuity of aristocratic leisure during a time when political order was restored, and cultural life regained its prominence.
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About the Author:
Andreas Fixemer
Berlin Tennis Gallery
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