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Lot Essay
PLAYING CARDS IN EUROPE
Though the earliest paper playing cards are thought to have originated in China or India between the 7th and 10th centuries, decks similar to those we are familiar with today first appeared in Europe towards the end of the 14th century. The very first cards may have been produced in Venice due to its extensive trading with the East, and production in other countries quickly emerged, aided by the development of the printing press in Germany which allowed giant sheets of cards to be printed at one time and then cut into decks. Germany, and specifically Nuremberg, became a center for playing card production, with cards first mentioned in a town ordinance in 1380, followed by the first registered Kartenmoler (card-painter) in 1414. By 1500, there were thirty-seven card makers in Nuremberg alone (K. Burke, “Print and the Early Modern Playing Card,” Oxford Art Journal, vol. 44 no. 2, 2021, p. 191).
THE ITALIAN SUITS
Despite the ubiquity of paper playing cards throughout Europe by the 16th century, they were not a standardized commodity. The earliest known German cards, painted in Stuttgart circa 1440, had suits of Dogs, Stags, Ducks, and Falcons. The German suits eventually, though, settled on Hares, Bells, Leaves, and Acorns. Conversely, the French suits were Hearts, Pikes, Clovers, and Diamonds, more recognizable as the suits universally used today. Finally, the Italian suits, seen on the cards in the present lot, are meant to represent the populace of a city. In A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming (New York, 1980), Catherine Hargrave explains the suits as “long curved swords or scimitars, for the nobility; cups, which are usually elaborate chalices, for the Church; denari or money for the citizens; and bastoni or clubs for the peasantry.”
EXTANT SILVER PLAYING CARDS
Unlike their printed counterparts, silver playing cards were never intended for actual play. Instead they were intended for aristocratic cabinets of curiosity, or Kunstkammer, meant to be viewed as works of art alongside other board games and objet d’art made of precious materials. Philipp Hainhofer (1578-1647), the German merchant known for assisting in the formation of numerous of these cabinets for royals throughout Europe, is recorded as providing silver decks of cards to King Philip II, the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and others. Unfortunately, due to the fragile nature of these cards, and the inherent value of the material, the majority of these 16th and early 17th century sets have now been lost, and only five are extant today.
The oldest surviving deck, comprising 42 cards dated 1594, designed by Hans Pfleger and signed by the engraver Alexander Mair, is in the collection of the Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels. A partial deck, comprising 29 gilt cards in the German suits, is in the Schroder Collection, and is thought to be Flemish or German, late 16th century. The two most complete extant decks were originally part of the famous Pommersche Kunstschrank which Hainhofer helped to assemble. The deck in Italian suits is almost identical to the cards offered here, though dated 1613 and signed by Augsburg silversmith Paul Göttich, and is lacking the six and seven of Swords. The deck in the German suits is probably also by the workshop of Göttich, circa 1615, and is lacking the king of Acorns, and knave, six, and seven of Bells. Both of these decks are in the collection of the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin. The third set from the Pommersche Kunstschrank, in the French suits and engraved by Michael Frömmer like the present cards, was photographed in the Kunstgewerbemuseum in 1905, but has since been lost. The fifth and final extant deck, the present lot, is the only complete set of 52 cards presented as originally intended.
In discussing the design of both the Italian deck by Göttich from the Pommersche Kunstschrank and the present cards, Barbara Mundt explains that it has so far not been possible to find a direct design source for the engravings. She notes, “An older card game is unlikely to be the model, since, in addition to the antique-clad figures of the kings, the majority of the riders and knaves are dressed in contemporary costume according to the French fashion of around 1610… so it is more likely that they are inspired by current fashion trends” (Der Pommersche Kunstschrank, Munich, 2009, p. 251).
RECENT HISTORY
Tradition holds that the present set of cards were in the possession of Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain (1775-1830), who in turn presented them to Doña Josefa Oribe y Viana de Contucci (1789-1835), wife of Felipe Contucci (1779-1835). Contucci served as Carlotta’s emissary in Brazil while she was in exile with the Portuguese court, and further directed military efforts on her behalf following the 1810 revolution in Buenos Aires. From Josefa Contucci, the cards passed to her daughter Augustina Contucci y Oribe (1806-1870), the wife of General Manuel Ceferino de Oribe y Viana (1792-1857), who served as President of Uruguay from 1835 to 1838. The set then descended through the family until sold at Christie’s, New York, 19 October 2010, lot 56, and acquired by Selim Zilkha. Zilkha was an avid Bridge player, having learned the game on the three-week voyage across the Atlantic from South Africa to the United States at age 13. This lot was one of Mr. Zilkha’s most prized works of art as it represented his two passions, cards and Renaissance silver.
Though the earliest paper playing cards are thought to have originated in China or India between the 7th and 10th centuries, decks similar to those we are familiar with today first appeared in Europe towards the end of the 14th century. The very first cards may have been produced in Venice due to its extensive trading with the East, and production in other countries quickly emerged, aided by the development of the printing press in Germany which allowed giant sheets of cards to be printed at one time and then cut into decks. Germany, and specifically Nuremberg, became a center for playing card production, with cards first mentioned in a town ordinance in 1380, followed by the first registered Kartenmoler (card-painter) in 1414. By 1500, there were thirty-seven card makers in Nuremberg alone (K. Burke, “Print and the Early Modern Playing Card,” Oxford Art Journal, vol. 44 no. 2, 2021, p. 191).
THE ITALIAN SUITS
Despite the ubiquity of paper playing cards throughout Europe by the 16th century, they were not a standardized commodity. The earliest known German cards, painted in Stuttgart circa 1440, had suits of Dogs, Stags, Ducks, and Falcons. The German suits eventually, though, settled on Hares, Bells, Leaves, and Acorns. Conversely, the French suits were Hearts, Pikes, Clovers, and Diamonds, more recognizable as the suits universally used today. Finally, the Italian suits, seen on the cards in the present lot, are meant to represent the populace of a city. In A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming (New York, 1980), Catherine Hargrave explains the suits as “long curved swords or scimitars, for the nobility; cups, which are usually elaborate chalices, for the Church; denari or money for the citizens; and bastoni or clubs for the peasantry.”
EXTANT SILVER PLAYING CARDS
Unlike their printed counterparts, silver playing cards were never intended for actual play. Instead they were intended for aristocratic cabinets of curiosity, or Kunstkammer, meant to be viewed as works of art alongside other board games and objet d’art made of precious materials. Philipp Hainhofer (1578-1647), the German merchant known for assisting in the formation of numerous of these cabinets for royals throughout Europe, is recorded as providing silver decks of cards to King Philip II, the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and others. Unfortunately, due to the fragile nature of these cards, and the inherent value of the material, the majority of these 16th and early 17th century sets have now been lost, and only five are extant today.
The oldest surviving deck, comprising 42 cards dated 1594, designed by Hans Pfleger and signed by the engraver Alexander Mair, is in the collection of the Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels. A partial deck, comprising 29 gilt cards in the German suits, is in the Schroder Collection, and is thought to be Flemish or German, late 16th century. The two most complete extant decks were originally part of the famous Pommersche Kunstschrank which Hainhofer helped to assemble. The deck in Italian suits is almost identical to the cards offered here, though dated 1613 and signed by Augsburg silversmith Paul Göttich, and is lacking the six and seven of Swords. The deck in the German suits is probably also by the workshop of Göttich, circa 1615, and is lacking the king of Acorns, and knave, six, and seven of Bells. Both of these decks are in the collection of the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin. The third set from the Pommersche Kunstschrank, in the French suits and engraved by Michael Frömmer like the present cards, was photographed in the Kunstgewerbemuseum in 1905, but has since been lost. The fifth and final extant deck, the present lot, is the only complete set of 52 cards presented as originally intended.
In discussing the design of both the Italian deck by Göttich from the Pommersche Kunstschrank and the present cards, Barbara Mundt explains that it has so far not been possible to find a direct design source for the engravings. She notes, “An older card game is unlikely to be the model, since, in addition to the antique-clad figures of the kings, the majority of the riders and knaves are dressed in contemporary costume according to the French fashion of around 1610… so it is more likely that they are inspired by current fashion trends” (Der Pommersche Kunstschrank, Munich, 2009, p. 251).
RECENT HISTORY
Tradition holds that the present set of cards were in the possession of Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain (1775-1830), who in turn presented them to Doña Josefa Oribe y Viana de Contucci (1789-1835), wife of Felipe Contucci (1779-1835). Contucci served as Carlotta’s emissary in Brazil while she was in exile with the Portuguese court, and further directed military efforts on her behalf following the 1810 revolution in Buenos Aires. From Josefa Contucci, the cards passed to her daughter Augustina Contucci y Oribe (1806-1870), the wife of General Manuel Ceferino de Oribe y Viana (1792-1857), who served as President of Uruguay from 1835 to 1838. The set then descended through the family until sold at Christie’s, New York, 19 October 2010, lot 56, and acquired by Selim Zilkha. Zilkha was an avid Bridge player, having learned the game on the three-week voyage across the Atlantic from South Africa to the United States at age 13. This lot was one of Mr. Zilkha’s most prized works of art as it represented his two passions, cards and Renaissance silver.