According to P.G. Brewster in "Games and Sports in Shakespeare", reprinted in Elliott Avedon & Brian Sutton-Smith, The Study of Games, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1971, p. 38, this bowling game is sometimes known as Kayles from the French quilles and was played much like Ninepins. Brewster tells us that the game was prohibited by Henry VIII.
In the painting, a girl on the left is setting up pins. She sets the pins against a wall which acts as a backstop. On the right, are other chidlren who will throw balls at the pins. There does not seem to be a marked area in which to throw the balls. Also, the distance from the throwers to the "pins" appears closer than one is used to in a contemporary bowling lane. This, of course, may be a function of the artist's perspective and the fact that this game is placed toward the rear of the painting.
In this game, the pins are placed in a straight line along a wall. Each player has a set number of balls, and accumulates points for the number of pins knocked down during their turn.
Last update February 9, 2010