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50-3438
DARTBOARD, MEDIEVAL
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MEDIEVAL DART BOARD SET 50-3438
This unique piece is a dart board housed inside a large medieval shield shaped wooden display box. The shield front is constructed of resin with a metal trim piece at the top. The raised relief design features dragons and fleur-de-lis symbols on a textured background. The hinged shield front opens to reveal a double-sided dart board and six darts. This piece is made to hang on the wall. It is perfect for fun and games or as a display piece. L-25", W-22", D-5", Board Dia.-14.75"
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| THE GAME OF DARTS The origins of the game of darts in England can never be firmly established, but it dates back to at least the Middle Ages. It seems that bored soldiers took to hurling arrows at the upturned covers of wine barrels, perhaps seeing who could come closest to the cork bung.
As the pastime grew in popularity, some bright soul decided that a cross-section of a tree would offer a better target. The natural growth rings of the tree provided a built-in means of determining who was closest to the center, and as the tree dried out the cracks provided radial divisions within the target (the current system of numbers was standardized around 1900).
When winter came and the soldiers spent more time inside, they couldn't hurl full-sized arrows about, so shortened versions of the arrows were used.
So popular did the new game become during the medieval period that it was taken up by nobility; in 1530 Anne Boleyn presented Henry VIII with a set of ornamented darts. The game maintained a strong military appeal, and the worldwide spread of darts is credited to the British army who brought the game with them to every corner of the Empire as it grew. |
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