Het nieuwe Arlequin-spel 1816 - 1897

Aron Hijman Binger, made this print of ‘Het nieuwe Arlequin-spel’, a game sheet, using woodcut and letterpress techniques. The interplay between material and process here is fascinating. The woodcut lends itself to bold outlines and flat areas of color, ideal for the stylized figure of the harlequin and the game's numbered spaces. The letterpress ensures the rules of the game, printed below the image, are legible and precise. The very nature of printmaking invites a kind of social engagement, creating multiples that circulate widely. These game sheets would have been relatively inexpensive, making them accessible to a broad audience. This speaks to a democratizing impulse, using the means of production to bring leisure and entertainment to the masses. In a time before mass media, printed games such as this offered shared experiences but were also ephemeral objects of everyday life, often discarded and now made precious by survival and display in a museum.