Bilboquet (cup-and-ball)

The toy in which one catches a ball on a string in a small cup or on a spike.

The bilboquet was fashionable at the court of Henry III in France around 1585. The ball was tossed in the air and caught in the cup or on the spike.

The toy exists in many countries, including Sweden as ball and stick. It trains hand and eye.

Materials: Turned wood, ivory or horn; string

Manufacture: Turned from wood or bone, with a ball hanging on a thread.

The handle with the cup at one end.

The spike at the other end.

The ball hanging on a string.

• Toys