A pair of scarce Italian playing cards depicting Ireland
£800
Out of stock
Two playing cards representing Ireland, including a miniature map of the country on a tromp l'oeil scroll and a letterpress card with a woodcut armorial and a letterpress description.
They are from a 78-card geographical game pack which was played with the same rules as tarocchi (tarot). The map was one of the 21 map trump cards; the second was a court card from the suit 'Islands' (the other suits being 'North', 'South' & 'Central' Europe). The woodcut pattern on the back of the card is a red flower design with the address 'Alla Colomba' (At the Dove). This was the address of Tipografia de' Franceschi in Bologna from the 1790s until at least 1860.
Additional information
Dimensions | 60 × 115 mm |
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Cartographer | |
Date | 1790 |
Extra Info | X Irlanda. [&] Isole III. Irlanda. |
Publication | Bologna: Tipografia de' Franceschi alla Colomba?, c.1790. Two playing cards, one engraved, one woodcut and letterpress, each sheet 115 x 60mm, with red woodcut design on reverse. |
Condition | A good example. |
References | – |