16th Century European Dinner Party Games: The Story of Painted Trenchers

Wooden roundels, or 'trenchers', were common at middling and well-to-do dinner parties in 16th-century Europe. Often painted red on one side, the other displayed images and inscriptions covering a wide range of topics: biblical verses, erotic tales, marriage advice, proverbs, depictions of the months' labors, memento mori, clashes of religious ideologies, peasant life, anti-papal sentiments, and current events. After dessert, guests would flip the trenchers, interpreting the images and text, revealing their knowledge, opinions, manners, and beliefs in a unique interactive performance.