Invitation to a Game of Argolla

An errand boy, holding a small pitcher for olive oil, is being tempted by a mischievous-looking boy to abandon his chore and play a game of argolla (a form of croquet). The charming contrast between the sulking countenance of one boy and the beaming smile of the other led to an early demand for copies and reproductions of this painting. X-radiography has revealed tiny pinpricks along the four sides of the canvas, suggesting it was squared-up to be copied accurately either for painted copies or even possibly for a tapestry cartoon. By the nineteenth century the industrial revolution enabled the mass production of wallpaper designs after this work.