17th/18th century, wood with partly punched surface covered with spikes, with handle on the inside; old repairs and woodworm. Size c. 20 x 22 cm.

Gioco del Pallone (English: Pallone) was a men’s racquet sport that originated in Italy. The objective of the game is to send the ball into the opponent’s half of the court. The basic equipment required for a game of Pallone comprised a ball (palla) and a forearm protector or armpiece (bracciale) which made it easier to play the game with a comparatively heavy ball.
The ball was an inflated leather sphere which shrank in terms of size and weight over the course of time. In the sixteenth century it had a diameter of approximately 32 centimetres and weighed around 800 grams, while in the eighteenth century it measured up at approximately 20 centimetres and 500 grams. By the start of the twentieth century its weight had been reduced again, this time to 300 grams, and the diameter had been pared down to just 9 centimetres. The inner sphere, inflated through a valve, was made from a pig’s or a cow’s bladder, but had to be topped up very regularly, namely, after every few strikes. A total of three balls were made available for every game so that the flow of play was not interrupted.
In the early days of Gioco del Pallone, players wrapped fabric or leather around their forearms to offer protection against the heavy ball used in the game. From the mid-sixteenth century onwards, this fabric or leather was replaced by the ‘bracciale’, a wooden protector for the lower arm, covered in spikes. Players still bound their arms with fabric or leather, but then wore the ‘bracciale’ on top of this binding. A piece of wood held in the hand stopped the bracciale from falling off. The spikes on the arm protector made it possible to hit the ball back accurately. This lower arm protector is generally known as a ‘bracciale’ but it can be called a ‘busuole’ or a ‘manipola’. In English they are also known as ‘Pallone racquets’.