Shield (targone) for the Gioco del Ponte, in the colors of t - Lot 94

Lot n° 94
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Estimation :
1500 - 2000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 8 572EUR
Shield (targone) for the Gioco del Ponte, in the colors of t - Lot 94
Shield (targone) for the Gioco del Ponte, in the colors of the Delfini (?) squad, Mezzogiorno sector. Pisa (Italy), late 18th century (repainted in 1807) L. 115 cm - W. 23 cm Shield (targone) for the Gioco del Ponte, in the colors of the Delfini squad (?), Mezzogiorno district. Pisa (Italy), late 18th century (repainted in 1807) L. 45 1/4 in - l. 9 in 597 CH Provenance : - Georges A. Douglass Collection - Sale Sotheby's New York Jan. 12, 1996, lot 1316 Carved from poplar wood. Front face painted blue-green with white border, topped by a plant ornament and a fish (representing the Delfini dolphin?) surmounted by the inscription 1807 R.C.P. (for Regio Commissario Pisa?). In low light, decorative elements and the letters of the motto from an earlier decoration dating from the late 18th century can be seen in relief. Two strong wooden handles nailed to the back. Reverse side slightly recessed for the passage of the arm, iron-marked with the initials A B C of a Pisan auditore (sort of governor). Some gaps in the paintwork, slightly worm-eaten wood in places on the back. The Gioco del Ponte (bridge game) was a civil sports competition traditionally held on the last Saturday in June on the Ponte di Mezzo in Pisa. It saw representatives of the two main areas on either side of the Arno, the Mezzogiorno to the south and the Tramontana to the north, divided into quarters or magistracies, each with their own colors and emblems. Teams of fighters competed for control of the bridge, equipped with helmets and breastplates, as well as their targoni, which served as both shield and weapon. The first edition of the modern version of the game took place in 1568, and ran, with occasional interruptions, until 1785. An attempt was made to revive the game in 1807, but the fall of the short-lived Kingdom of Etruria in December of that year, annexed by Napoleon's empire, put a definitive end to it. Since 1935, a modernized version of the gioco del ponte has been held regularly in Pisa, albeit with slightly different rules and regulations. Bibliography: - Walter Karchesky Jr and Donald LaRocca, A Rare Armor for the Gioco del Ponte, Metropolitan museum Journal, v.42, 2007, p.107-119.
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