Old game of four wooden horses

Vintage wooden game board, designed for the famous "Game of the Four Horses". Its cross layout is painted in four colours — yellow, green, red, and blue — punctuated by numbered squares and small holes intended to hold the game pieces or pegs. Each of the four corners of the board is adorned with a stylised horse's head, stencilled in the colour corresponding to its team. The board, made of plywood reinforced with a diagonal brace on the back, shows a beautiful patina of time, with some paint missing in places that testify to its use. The Game of the Four Horses, derived from the Indian race game Pachisi, gained great popularity in France from the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century as a family board game. Each player had to advance their pieces — here symbolised by the horses — along the cross path to the central square, according to the rolls of the dice. These boards, often handmade or produced in small series, are now appreciated for both their playful value and their naive graphic charm.