Ganzenbordspel, ca. 1830-1850 1831 - 1854

This is an anonymous print of a 'Ganzenbordspel', or Game of the Goose, made in the Netherlands sometime between 1830 and 1850. It’s a board game, etched onto paper, designed for entertainment. The Game of the Goose, popular across Europe, isn't just about frivolous fun. Board games like this one were common in the bourgeois home and reflect the values of this class. They acted as a microcosm of society itself. The game's squares, filled with symbolic imagery, can teach about morality, chance, and consequence. Consider the role of the goose itself, a figure of luck, but also perhaps foolishness. This relates to the social conditions of the time, the emerging middle class, and their aspirations and anxieties. To truly understand this game, one could delve into the period's popular literature, moral guides, and social commentaries. The meaning of the artwork, therefore, becomes contingent on its social and institutional context.