Game: Carry My Lady
(Detail from Brueghel's Painting)


Get The Hat

Although Brueghel painted this image in the central foreground of his painting, exactly what this game is, and how it is played is rather obscure.

One Web reference that lists names of some the games in the painting points to this detailed image and titles the game: Carry My Lady To London. Since the painting is Flemish, the unnamed author obviously has found a reference to this game in Britain. Be that as it may, we could not verify this information.

Another notion as a result of this inquiry is that this game may have something to do with the singing game London Bridges Falling Down. A number of reference sources suggest that bridge building in Medieval Europe regardless of country was an issue at that time, and thus there are similar children's games from different parts of Europe, and Brueghel might have been familiar with such a game.


Last update February 9, 2010