Pair of 17th/18th c. turned and pressed wood gaming pieces. Each disc has a similar floral border with figures in the style of German sculptor and medalist Martin Brunner (Nuremberg, 1659-1725).

56 x 10 mm each.

The first gaming piece displays an allegorical scene with a pair of female figures, representing Justice holding the sword of victory and peace grasping an olive branch. Mars, the Roman god of war, lounges behind them. The inscription below reads, “Ruswicensis / 1697", referencing the Peace of Ryswick; a series of treaties in 1697 that ended the Nine Years' War(1688-97) between France and the Grand Alliance(England, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire). Above, a Latin inscription reads OSCULA IUSTITIA PAX AUREA FICIT IN ORBE (The Kiss of Justice has Given Golden Peace to the World). There is a radiant sun with the letter L(ouis XIV), while a crescent moon hangs low behind a cloud in the lower right, a symbol of Emperor Leopold I taking rule and bringing peace and justice to Europe.
The verso shows a nobleman and woman seated beside a tree. As the woman reaches toward a rose bush, a cherub attempts to stop her. In German above, TRAU NICHT ES STICHT (Don't trust, it stings).- a cautionary tale of trusting beauty and perfection at first sight.

The second piece shows a crowned Virgin Mary carrying a staff and the infant Jesus with the globus cruciger. A saint holding rosary beads bows before them. In Latin above, O.S. MARIA ORA PRO NOBIS (Saint Mary Pray for Us).
On the verso, Christian missionary St. Francis Xavier holds a crucifix preaching to four men in the foreground. The background shows a carrack ship in the port of Goa on the southwest coast of India. Latin above, FIDUM TRANSVEXIT AD INDOS (Faith to the Indians). Thematically, it suggests it was made for a Catholic Spanish audience.

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