The Earliest Playing Cards

Left: Jack of coins by an unknown maker, early XV century.

Methods of Production

ncrease in demand for cultural objects led to the inventing of quicker and cheaper production methods... woodcuts, movable type, paper instead of parchment, multiple copies. As card-playing became more popular production was accelerated by these alternative processes, including hand-made cards, cards printed from woodblocks or using stencils, or other improvised techniques. Nowadays, of course, highly specialised printing equipment is required to produce playing cards.

More expensive cards were produced from engravings in copper using the skills of the goldsmith and engraver. These cards have greater detail and a more naturalistic use of line. Such packs were given as wedding gifts, bequeathed as heirlooms, and regarded as valuable commodities. They were often produced for collectors.

Luxury hand-painted packs were only available to a few, who enjoyed them privately or with select company. The printed or mechanically-produced versions, cruder in design and execution, were viewed simultaneously by larger audiences but were prone to deteriorate more rapidly.

Left: ober of lions engraved by the Master of the Playing Cards, c.1450-60. See also The South German Engraver and Mantegna Tarocchi.

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