A Scarce Child’s Metamorphosises Puzzle Game c.1840-50

Origin: German
Period: Early Victorian
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1840-50
The Box: 9.25” w x 7” h x 1” d

Imported from Germany to the English market the rare ‘Metamorphosises’ game featuring juvenile pictures; ‘Metamorphosen mit kindlichen Bildern’ and titled in Italian, English and French also to the lid, the original wooden box with hand-coloured lithographed label on sliding lid opening to reveal 42 (of 48) wooden blocks with hand-coloured lithographed top sides, arranged in columns of three to form figures of differently dressed boys and girls, surviving from the early Victorian period.

Attractively designed and wonderfully tactile, the condition of the game set is play worn but in good overall condition save the loss of six pieces. 

This game spawned the later game of Misfits whereby each new character must begin with a hat and players must play a card each turn if at all possible. Each time you played a card, you drew another, and the winner was the player with the most completed characters after every card has been played.

A wondrous and scarce collectable and a game that can still be enjoyed today.