 Real tennis is mentioned in literature by William Shakespeare who mentions "tennis balles" in "Henry V" (1599), when a basket of them is given to King Henry as a mockery of his youth and playfulness; the incident is also mentioned in some earlier chronicles and ballads.One of the most striking early references appears in a painting by Giambattista Tiepolo entitled "The Death of Hyacinth" (1752–1753) in which a strung racket and three tennis balls are depicted.The painting's theme is the mythological story of Apollo and Hyacinth, written by Ovid.