Piatnik Tarock

Published August 08, 2010 • Updated May 28, 2022

Deck of "Industrie und Glück" or "Rural Scenes" tarock cards manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Söhne, Vienna, c.1910.

Piatnik Tarock Cards

Deck of "Industrie und Glück" or "Rural Scenes" tarock cards manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Söhne, Vienna, c.1910. The Trumps feature rural scenes and costumes from different regions showing a different scene at each end. Trump II (second row) shows a crowned eagle with a sword and sceptre clasped in one claw, perched on a rock bearing the legend "Industrie und Glück". The Ace of Hearts shows the slightly feint Austrian tax stamp, or 'kartenstempel', showing a two-headed eagle, which was used at that time.

Above: cards from "Industrie und Glück" or "Rural Scenes" tarock deck manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Söhne, Hütteldorferstr. 227, Vienna, c.1910. Stencil-coloured.

Left: cards from "Industrie und Glück" or "Rural Scenes" tarock deck printed chromolithographically by Ferd Piatnik & Söhne A.G., Vienna, 1936. (Piatnik added A.G. to it's name from 1917-1939.)

Right: The firm of Ferd Piatnik had a long and varied career including expansion to cities outside Vienna. This Jack of Clubs from an "Industrie und Glück" stencil-coloured tarock deck shows Ferd Piatnik's Hungarian address in Budapest on the lower shield, c.1910. The upper shield reads Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne, Hütteldorferstr. 205, Vienna XIII.

The "Rural Scenes" Tarock pattern has also been used as the basis of divinatory fortune-telling cards manufactured in Argentina by Vigor S.R.L. with the title "Cartas Gitanas"►

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By Simon Wintle

Spain • Member since February 01, 1996

I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.