Rudolf II loved toys, but especially toys that required drinking large amounts of alcohol. Shown here is his Automaton of Diana and the Stag (1620), one of the first royal drinking games. The stag’s removable head doubles as both bizarre centerpiece and drinking cup. Participants would wind up the mechanism at the base of the sculpture and it would spin around until Diana's arrow landed on a person in the party. Diana’s chosen party-goer was then required to drink the contents of the stag head....a far classier alternative to Beer Pong.What's your favorite drinking game? Does it involve a golden stag? In my very pregnant state, my favorite drinking game is to sniff everyone's wine and guess what it tastes like. Fun!
Art Credit: Metropolitan Museum of ArtArts of Northern Europe
