Lot 143
143
Biedermeier Style Cartomancy Deck, circa 1840, Austria maker unknown, 50 of 50(?) cards, hand-colored lithography, the card designs reflect small genre scenes in the spirit of the Biedermeier period which lasted from the fall of Napoleon in 1815 until the Revolution of 1848 and was expressed by the bourgeois seeking to emulate the nobility through comfortable furnishings and designs using inexpensive materials. Examples of cards: The Child in a cradle has a toy and is surrounded by full scene in a room with a tiled stove, a chair and table, a flower pot on the window sill and the mother kneeling to feed the child. A Gift is not just a bouquet of flowers but a covered table with a box of jewelry, a flower pot of red roses, a caged parrot, a framed picture and a shawl. Hope is not just an anchor but a woman seated at water's edge and leaning against an anchor while gazing at a sailing vessel approaching from the sea. Unexpected Pleasure shows a boy discovering a book lying on the ground
Biedermeier Style Cartomancy Deck, circa 1840, Austria maker unknown, 50 of 50(?) cards, hand-colored lithography, the card designs reflect small genre scenes in the spirit of the Biedermeier period which lasted from the fall of Napoleon in 1815 until the Revolution of 1848 and was expressed by the bourgeois seeking to emulate the nobility through comfortable furnishings and designs using inexpensive materials. Examples of cards: The Child in a cradle has a toy and is surrounded by full scene in a room with a tiled stove, a chair and table, a flower pot on the window sill and the mother kneeling to feed the child. A Gift is not just a bouquet of flowers but a covered table with a box of jewelry, a flower pot of red roses, a caged parrot, a framed picture and a shawl. Hope is not just an anchor but a woman seated at water's edge and leaning against an anchor while gazing at a sailing vessel approaching from the sea. Unexpected Pleasure shows a boy discovering a book lying on the ground, not a sack of gold. Falseness is represented by a cat in the arms of a little girl, scratching the face of her friend. Gaiety is represented by a young couple dancing beneath a string of flowers, the man waves a bottle above his head while several people watch the festivities. A Letter depicts a young man entering a home to deliver a letter to the female recipient. Money is not just a trunk or box of money or gold, but a young married father who brings a sack of gold to his wife after winning a shooting contest. Love is Cupid walking barefoot along a path, bow and arrow poised in readiness to shoot, a tall building with a steeple appears in the background. A Room depicts a parlor with tiled floor and a draft stopper, curtains on the window, a painting in the background, a covered table, and a Biedermeier curved sofa. Sadness depicts a forlorn woman at an outdoor garden table. Pleasure depicts a woman at a similar table in a different garden, a guitar at her feet. Captions in German, French and Italian, Czech has been added. Backs are plain. Size 3 5/16 in. (8.3 cm.) high, 2 1/8 in. (5.3 cm.) wide. Heavily worn.

Details
Biedermeier Style Cartomancy Deck, circa 1840, Austria maker unknown, 50 of 50(?) cards, hand-colored lithography, the card designs reflect small genre scenes in the spirit of the Biedermeier period which lasted from the fall of Napoleon in 1815 until the Revolution of 1848 and was expressed by the bourgeois seeking to emulate the nobility through comfortable furnishings and designs using inexpensive materials. Examples of cards: The Child in a cradle has a toy and is surrounded by full scene in a room with a tiled stove, a chair and table, a flower pot on the window sill and the mother kneeling to feed the child. A Gift is not just a bouquet of flowers but a covered table with a box of jewelry, a flower pot of red roses, a caged parrot, a framed picture and a shawl. Hope is not just an anchor but a woman seated at water's edge and leaning against an anchor while gazing at a sailing vessel approaching from the sea. Unexpected Pleasure shows a boy discovering a book lying on the ground, not a sack of gold. Falseness is represented by a cat in the arms of a little girl, scratching the face of her friend. Gaiety is represented by a young couple dancing beneath a string of flowers, the man waves a bottle above his head while several people watch the festivities. A Letter depicts a young man entering a home to deliver a letter to the female recipient. Money is not just a trunk or box of money or gold, but a young married father who brings a sack of gold to his wife after winning a shooting contest. Love is Cupid walking barefoot along a path, bow and arrow poised in readiness to shoot, a tall building with a steeple appears in the background. A Room depicts a parlor with tiled floor and a draft stopper, curtains on the window, a painting in the background, a covered table, and a Biedermeier curved sofa. Sadness depicts a forlorn woman at an outdoor garden table. Pleasure depicts a woman at a similar table in a different garden, a guitar at her feet. Captions in German, French and Italian, Czech has been added. Backs are plain. Size 3 5/16 in. (8.3 cm.) high, 2 1/8 in. (5.3 cm.) wide. Heavily worn.

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