A busy tavern. The customers are sitting outside and enjoying their food and drink. Under a roof two men are playing a game of shuffleboard. Another man holding a pitcher of beer watches. The man in the foreground takes no interest in all this; he has his back turned to everyone and goes on smoking his pipe imperturbably.
On the left, part of a court can be seen where pall mall, a forerunner of croquet, was played with sticks and large wooden balls. The title of the drawing is taken from this court. This scene was drawn by Adriaen van Ostade. It was done with a pen in brown ink, to which washes in brown and grey were later added.
