With ten new playing cards

The Maker For a description of Maximilian Joseph Frommann, see item 88.

The Cards

Maximilian Frommann had designed ten new cards shortly before his death, which were later incorporated into the present deck, along with 19 cards copied from an 1852 deck published by German firm Braun & Schneider, and 23 taken from Grimaud’s 1850 deck (see item 68).

Frommann’s new designs are shown on the pip cards, and fall into the category of “transformation card”. The suit marks are incorporated into the main image in a simple yet clear way. A club symbol, for example, forms part of the design on a knight’s breastplate, while a spade serves as a spearhead.

There were in total three editions of this deck, of which the present example is the second, distinguished by the letters “M” and “F” found on the Eight of Diamonds, referring to Maximilian.

HAUSMANN, Friedrich Karl Vier continenten.

Publication Frankfurt, Bernhard Dondorf, 1870.

Description

52 chromolithograph playing cards, pattern printed to versos in blue, black and yellow.

Dimensions 93 by 65mm (3.75 by 2.5 inches).

References Van den Bergh pp.74-75; for similar see Guiard 4.

The Maker German painter and director of the Hanau Drawing Academy, Friedrich Karl Hausmann (1825-1886) was responsible for the design of the cards. His name is prominently displayed on the folding sheet that can be found in the appendix, which describes all the cards and their topics. Throughout his career, Hausmann worked closely with the lithographic institution of Bernhard Dondorf, who published his illustrations and thus provided a stable income. The Dondorf firm was highly successful, printing not only playing cards, but also banknotes, postage stamps and decorative prints. Its name appears on all the Ace cards.

The Cards

Designed with geography in mind, with each suit is represented by one of the four continents, their Ace cards depicting scenes symbolising the respective cultures:

Club – America; the sailing of Columbus Diamond – Europe; a personification of justice Heart – Asia; an elephant carrying a howdah Spade – Africa; camels in front of a mosque

The court cards show the royal figures as three-quarter portraits, subtly distinguished by their symbolic elements on their costumes. The pip cards display Dondorf’s original approach of printing them all in a uniform colour, here sepia, as he had earlier done on his famous ‘Cartes Comiques’. The continent deck proved extremely popular and ran into numerous editions, of which the present example is the first.

HOLMBLAD, Lauritz Peter [Danish playing cards].

Publication [Copenhagen, L. P. Holmblads Fabrik, c1870].

Description

52 chromolithograph playing cards, with gilt edges, red printed papter pattern to versos.

Dimensions 94 by 59mm (3.75 by 2.25 inches).

References

Van den Bergh p.255.

The Maker

The name of the maker “L.P. Holmblads Fabrik i Kjobenhavn” is found on the Jack of Clubs. While playing cards were made in Denmark before 1820, the production really took off when Jacob Holmblad received a royal license to make playing cards in 1820.

After his death in 1837, his son Lauritz Peter Holmblad expanded the firm, using new techniques and commissioning new designs for his cards. Over his career he produced a range of decks for playing different games, including Danish Tarok, a three-player game using 78 cards.

The Cards

These new cards were made by Lauritz Peter Holmblad to keep abreast with the nineteenth century’s increasing competition in the Danish market. The double-figure court cards depict the familiar royal characters, but they are shown in slightly more subtle and naturalistic poses, with the King of Spades sulkily folding his arms, while the Queen of Hearts gazes coyly over her shoulder.

They are beautifully coloured in rich, harmonious hues, and gilt edges add an extra touch of luxury. The suit marks are shown, as standard, in the upper left and lower right corners. The Ace and pip cards are simple, with the number of suit marks shown corresponding to the value of each card.

[JEGEL, Conrad Johann]

[attributed to]

[Unification of Italy playing cards].

Publication [?Nuremberg, c1871].

Description

52 engraved playing cards, with fine original hand colour, stamp to one, blue printed pattern to versos.

Dimensions 92 by 61mm (3.5 by 2.5 inches).

References

Van den Bergh pp.116-117.