Court Card Beginnings

[HeartQ]

I thought that perhaps I might give card collectors a bit of information about card designs.  The court cards as we know them today are very similar to the early French cards, the prototypes for the cards we still use today. Although the courts in those days were single-ended the colorings and costumes are quite recognizable today. Many playing decks with completely different court designs have been produced over many years to try to sell players on a different style but it has never worked.   Card players prefer to stick to the familiar.

The first two rows show French cards, all in the 1690 to 1710 range - those on the bottom row are mid-1700.  If you look closely at the Queen of Hearts in that row you can figure out why my user namer is Heartq!

[Leif]

Wonderful art! I really love it.

And Judith, certainly a crafty girl. If you look very closely on that card, and squint a little, you could see that her left hand is lifting the hem of her skirt a little, revealing what looks like a scabbard, no doubt containing the sword with which she beheaded Holofernes. Or am I just making this up? Seeing things where there are nothing to see?

Nevertheless, that is some beautiful art.

[HeartQ]

Thanks Lief

I see that I must study our cards a little more closely, I never noticed that this brave Queen of Hearts is sporting a scabbard!  I bet your deduction is correct, otherwise why.....