Back in my original bagatelle posts I had this one table at the bottom I didn't understand, with cast characters standing over gates, and no visible plunger, and no real obvious shooting area.
Turns out this is called Toupie Hollandaise, aka a spinning top game from France. It apparently has origins from the 17th century with Toptafel tables being make in Holland, Belgium, and Germany, but the larger sized tables were mostly 19th-20th century. It's thematic connection to bagatelle being that it was an aristocratic game played on a custom table surface. No cues, no balls, this game used spinning tops to try and knock down tiny pegs / skittles. It is often mislabeled as "bagatelle" in many of the auctions they've appeared in.
Some tables had bells hanging between gates, which I believe gave points in addition to toppling the skittles. These balls would be thematically similar to the bells in carombolette tables, and pin bagatelles.
There is hearsay that the tables would be made with bells underneath them to discourage movement, like a proto-tilt, but it is thought that these would be later add-ons. I have never seen a table that has a bell. We received a comment (check the bottom of this post) on this topic, and wish to reflect that information here.
I've found lots of discussion of these tables, but very few primary sources. They are still popular carpentry projects, and yes after 400 years they basically evolved in to Beyblades.
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| pictures via Dead Flip on twitter click through for a short video |
You can see many different variants in this video of a Paris spinning top table game festival.
A French brass mounted mahogany Bagatelle table
Chevrot, Paris
second half 19th century
Bearing maker's plaque CHEVROT FAB T/AVENUE MONTAIGNE 85/Paris
height 44in (112cm); width 65in (165cm); depth 27in (68.5cm)
liveauctioneers
We received a comment at the bottom of this blog from the person who later restored this table. This table now resides at the Dutch Pinball Museum. This table is stamped 1853. "The date was stamped on the bottom of a brass piece and it corresponds with the exact address." This makes it the oldest verified toupie table still in existence.
Dutch top Game table in natural wood decorated with figures and hoops in gilded bronze. Complete set with its accessories France, circa 1880 Haut. : 75 cm - Long. : 168 cm - Prof. : 80 cm Inventory of collection n ° 445 Propelled by a launcher using a coiled string, the spinning top hitting the metal ramp must cross the various chambers, knocking down as many pins as possible. Ducth top - Game table in natural embellished with characters and hoops in gilded bronze - Complete game with its accessories - H: 30 "W: 66" D: 31 "DM
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| small toy versions |
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| "Spring 1877 Department Store Catalog" |
France - Chartres - Galerie de Chartres Public auctions of Mechanical Musical Instruments and AutomataSunday, December 4, 2005Nº 678: A large and beautiful living room billiard table of the Dutch type with its spinning top and 16 boxwood skittles, oak table, bronze accessories. In the center a Harlequin, bone numbers.Carries the plaque "Lebon Founded in 1771 Garden and Salon Games, Baucley, Thomas, Hardouin ... et Cie 12 Bld de Sébastopol". End of the 19th century. 136x72cm - Height 90cm
Louis XV Walnut Games or Bagatelle Table
having gallery edge a single side drawer all over cabriole legs ending in hoof feet now on brass casters, and cross stretcher base, late 18th / 19th century
length 63 inches, depth 21 inches, height 37 inches
Provenance: O.F. Wilson Antiques, London, 7/6/2000 $44,335 (no receipt available, information came from family database)
from a Park Avenue, New York, estate
do you wanna sell it
ReplyDeletesell what?
DeleteHello
ReplyDeleteI am new here, but this is really my cup of tea. I'm a Belgian restorer of antique games and I am currently writing a book on the origins of some old games. One of them is the Toupie Hollandaise.
I have restored quite a few of these. The one on this page ( listed as A French brass mounted mahogany Bagatelle table Chevrot) is one of them. I sold it to the Dutch Pinball museum a few years ago and you can go there and play it sometimes. So the one at the bottom of the page is the same one as the first one. That specific one is probably the oldest one that has a confirmed production date: 1853. The date was stamped on the bottom of a brass piece and it corresponds with the exact address.
They are not in fact from Holland. They are a French design, though it is true that in Germany, Holland and Belgium, there are older (late 18th, and then again late 19th century) wooden Toptafels that are on record.
The bells are mostly later additions and I do not believe the tilt-mechanism. The game was played in casino's and fairgrounds. There was always somebody next to it to check on it, so there would be no need for warning bells. On the contrary: I found one report in which a keeper of such game on a fairground was charged with fraud. He was alledgedly tilting the sable by placing his full weight on the wooden floor, so that the spinning top would always move to the same corner and prevent it from hitting many skittles. The tables were always slightly tilted, so in order to comit froud as a player, you would need to lift the very heavy table, which would make all skittles fall at one (believe me, I tried it), which would be far too obvious.
I anybody needs more information, or has information to share about these wonderful are extremely rare games, please let me know
I have a small collection of these tables that I am willing to sell if anybody is interested. You can contact me trough my company site: volksspelenbrugge.be
Thank you very much for your expertise. I have edited this article to include your work on the table, and your corrections. They have been much appreciated.
DeleteWhat do you think the purpose of adding bells was? Have you encountered a table that had bells added?
I have also edited my speech text over at https://pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2024/10/pinball-expo-2024-prewar-booth-and-more.html
DeleteI hope this helps dispel poor information from being passed around.