Re: Playing Cards

[David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.umd.edu>]

Poster: David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.umd.edu>


Bridgette Kelly MacLean wrote describing the Hunting Deck in the
Cloisters;

I've got a few small corrections and additions to her note.

Two minor corrections:  I believe that the Hunting deck is French in
origin, not German; further, I think it is dated to the later 15th century
(not as early as 1450).

Some additions: the Hunting deck, like the Hofamterspiel, Cary-Yale
Visconti, Visconti-Sforza, or the circular copper-point engraving deck by
Master E.S. of 1466, was never intended to be played with.

The later 15th century was a period of experimentation into alternative
suit-signs from the standard Italian/Spanish suit signs (Coins, Swords,
Batons, and Cups).  The German, Swiss, and French suit systems arose in
the last half of the 15th century, as did a wide variety of suit signs
that did not gain general acceptance.  The period of experimentation seems
to have mostly ended by the middle of the 16th century.

Dafydd


=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org