Charles VI’s card-maker

The Maker

We have been unable to discover who designed the present playing cards, but on September 12, 1863, a deed with the title ‘Fabrication de cartes à jouer dites historiques’ was drawn up for the production of this deck, which was published the following year, entitled ‘Jacquemin Gringonneur’, after a fourteenth century card-maker who had produced three decks of cards for Charles VI.

After the first edition published by Hautot and Paris, this deck was also published by other French playing card makers, amongst which was Avril (see item 91). Little information can be found about Mademoiselle Hautot and M. Paris, and there are no other decks attributed to them.

The Cards

Among the most notable features of this deck are its beautiful suit marks: with the interesting exception of the Spades, the symbols are exquisitely filled with flowers (clubs), birds (hearts) and fruit (diamonds). Furthermore, gold print was used to give the cards an additional sense of luxury.

The full-length court cards show a range of royal or noble figures from across mythology and history, from Hector of Troy as the King of Diamonds and Alexander the Great as the King of Spades to the biblical women such as Judith and Rachel, dressed in quite ridiculously anachronistic gowns. The value of the Ace and pip cards is indicated by the number of ornate suit marks shown.

AVRIL, Stanislas-Desire

[Photographic

playing cards].

Publication [Paris, Avril & Cie, c1864].

Description

52 photographic playing cards, with suits in hand-colour, plain white versos.

Dimensions 98 by 65mm (3.75 by 2.5 inches).

References Van den Bergh p.221.

The Maker Card-maker Stanislas-Desire Avril was active in Paris from 1862 until his bankruptcy in 1868. His firm produced engraved and lithographed cards, and then in 1864 he received a patent to make photographic playing cards. His imprint appears on all the court cards.

The Cards

Probably the first example of the photographic printing technique being used on playing cards. It is only used, however, on the court cards, with the Kings, Queens and Jacks all shown with full-length lifelike images. The characters are portrayed by actors and actresses posing in elaborate theatrical costumes. The suit mark appears in the upper left corner, and opposite them the name of the actor or actress is found. By contrast, the Ace and pip cards shown standard designs, with the value of each card represented by the number of suit marks shown.

GRIMAUD, Baptiste-Paul

[French Court playing cards].

Publication

Paris, Grimaud, 1864.

Description

52 engraved playing cards, court cards with fine original hand-colour, plain white verso.

Dimensions 85 by 55mm (3.25 by 2.25 inches).

References Van den Bergh pp.106-107, Yale 2808/ GER405.

The Maker

The imprint on the Jack of Clubs identifies the maker of the present deck as Baptiste-Paul Grimaud. For a description of Grimaud, please see item 50.

The Cards

First designed and published in 1856, the present deck takes a tonguein-cheek approach to the traditional court cards. The Kings are represented by four important French rulers, but rather than being accompanied by their wives, the Queen cards each show one of their mistresses:

Clubs – Francois I, Anne de Pisseleu, Duchess of Etampes Diamonds – Henri IV, Gabrielle d’Estrée Hearts – Louis XIV, Duchess of La Vallière Spades – Charles VI, Odette de Champdivers

In their own times and in popular memory, the Royal Mistresses were the subject of scandal, gossip and rumour. Their stories were undoubtedly exaggerated and embellished over the centuries that followed, turning them into near-legendary figures. Each of the relationships, with the exception of Francois I and Anne de Pisseleu, resulted in at least one child, which served to secure the paramours’ position in the history of the French monarchy.

Typical court squires appear on the Jack cards, preparing to attend upon their masters with refreshments, entertainment or military equipment. The Ace cards simply show the suit mark surrounded by a delicate floral wreath.

The deck appears to have been very popular. It was published numerous times throughout the late nineteenth century, perhaps demonstrating the pleasure that the French continued to take in deriding the monarchs of the Ancien Regime.

[ANONYMOUS] [Cartes Fantastiques].

Publication [France, c1865].

Description

52 engraved playing cards with fine original hand-colour, pink versos.

Dimensions

87 by 57mm (3.5 by 2.25 inches).

References Van den Bergh pp.164-165.

The Maker

The present deck undoubtedly originated in France, but nothing is known about its maker or date of publication.

The Cards

An extremely rare deck entitled ‘Cartes Fantastiques’ in which each card shows a scene from a fable, folklore or fairy tales. These range from the bizarre, to the macabre, to the romantic, with princesses, demons and amimals alike. The images are intricately detailed, and the value of each card is indicated by the number of suit marks shown.

Van den Bergh suggests that, if the Queen of Clubs is meant to represent the evil queen from ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the deck has been made after 1865, when Lewis Carroll wrote his world-famous book. On the box, the title is shown “Cartes Fantastiques”.

[JEGEL, Johann Conrad] [attributed to]

[Landmarks of Nuremberg playing cards].

Publication

[Nuremberg, Johann Wilhelm Sass, ?c1865].

Description

52 engraved playing cards with fine original hand-colour, printed red dot pattern to verso.

Dimensions 56 by 41mm (2.25 by 1.5 inches).

References

Van den Bergh p.60.