Acknowledgements List of Figures, Graphs and Tables List of Abbreviations Introduction 1 Origin and Typology of Lotteries in the Low Countries 1 Historical and Historiographical Context 2 Lottery Typology in the Sixteenth-Century Netherlands 3 The Upsurge in Commercial Lotteries2 The Machinery of Success: Expert Valuation--Exhibition--Draw 1 Building Trust 2 Make Known, Make Seen: The Visual Means of Mediatization 3 Theatralization: The Public Draw as Urban Spectacle3 Visualizing the Material and Moral Stakes of Institutional Lotteries 1 Illustrated Posters: A Feature of the Visual Culture of the Low Countries 2 Exploiting the Image's Power of Persuasion 3 Theatralization and Dramatization: The Human Impact4 Lottery Posters and Booklets: The Role of Print in Structuring the Art Worlds 1 Lottery Posters in the United Provinces 2 Booklets and Catalogues: New Tools of Mediation and Encouragement to Gamble 3 A New Image of the Art Trade and Material Pleasure5 Commercial Lotteries in the Spanish Netherlands: Actors, Networks, Risks, and Profits 1 Painter Claude Dorizi's Lottery in Mechelen (1559-1560) 2 The Invention of Immediate-draw Itinerant Commercial Lotteries 3 Political-economic Conflicts of Interest between Central Government and Local Authorities 4 Networks, Risks, and Profits6 At the Heart of the Commercial Lotteries 1 Abundance, Luxury, and Diversity 2 New Images and New Luxuries 3 Sartorial Appearances and Domestic Items7 The Mirage of Art and Wealth. The Lottery's Economic, Social, and Cultural Impacts 1 A Pseudo-Mechanism for Distributing Luck Fairly and Democratically 2 Lotteries and Local Trade. Ripple Effect or Competition? 3 From the Material Temptation of the Lottery Displays to Moral Reflections on Vanity and Fortune: The Watershed Years of 1590-1610 Conclusion Appendices Bibliography 1 Unpublished Primary Sources 2 Published Primary Sources 3 Secondary Litterature Index Illustration Credits.