Jeu de paume.html

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Jeu de paume in the 17th century.

Jeu de paume was originally a French precursor of tennis played without racquets. The players hit the ball with their hands, as in palla, volleyball, or certain varieties of pelota. Jeu de paume literally means "game of palm". In time gloves replaced bare hands. Even when bats, and finally racquets, became standard equipment for the game, the name did not change. It became known as "tennis" in English (see History of tennis), and later "real tennis" after the derivative game of lawn tennis became the more widely known sport.

The term is used in France today to denote the game of real tennis or a court in which the ancient or modern game might be played. The indoor version is sometimes called jeu de courte paume or just courte paume (short palm) to distinguish it from the outdoor version, longue paume, played on field of indefinite length.

The painter Jacques-Louis David's famous sketch, le Serment du jeu de paume ('the Tennis Court Oath') now hangs in the court of the Palace of Versailles. It depicts a seminal moment of the French revolution, when, on 20 June 1789, deputies of the Estates-General met at the court and vowed that they would not disband before the proclamation of a formal Constitution for France.

The Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, a museum of contemporary art, is housed in a former court on the north side of the Tuileries park in the centre of Paris.

Jeu de paume was a medal event in the 1908 Summer Olympics. American Jay Gould won the Gold medal.¹

Jeu de paume has a world championship, since 1740. It is held each year in September. It is the oldest active trophy in international sport.