Jeu de paume Jeu de paume Jeu de paume (; ) is a ball-and-court game that originated in France. It was an indoor precursor of tennis played without racquets, though these were eventually introduced. It is a former Olympic sport, and has the oldest ongoing annual world championship in sport, first established over 250 years ago. Originally spelled jeu de paulme, now it is called "real tennis" , court tennis (US) or courte paume (France). In the earliest versions of the game, the players hit the ball with their hands, as in palla, volleyball, or certain varieties of pelota. "Jeu de paume", or
Jeu de paume court and vowed that they would not disband before the proclamation of a formal Constitution for France. "Le Jeu de Paume" is a moral ode published in 1791 by André Chénier. In the 1981 film "The French Lieutenant's Woman", socialite Charles Smithson (Jeremy Irons) is seen playing "jeu de paume" in London. The 2014 Whitney Biennial exhibition featured the premiere of the stop-motion film "Jeu de Paume" by Joshua Mosley. Jeu de paume Jeu de paume (; ) is a ball-and-court game that originated in France. It was an indoor precursor of tennis played without racquets, though these were eventually