Zodiac Bridge
Zodiac Bridge was designed by René Marcel Rivière and printed by AGM Müller in c.1989. A different sign of the zodiac appears on the clothing of each court card figure.
Zodiac Bridge
Zodiac Bridge was designed by Austrian painter, sculptor and graphic artist René Marcel Rivière (b.1950- ) and printed by AGM Müller in c.1989. The figures are dramatic, intense and surreal with depth of detail: a sort of fantastic realism. A different sign of the zodiac appears on the clothing of each court card, reflecting the artist's interest in metaphysical themes and human destiny. René Marcel Rivière also designed an erotic tarot deck and has exhibited his paintings in Austria, the US and Germany.
René Marcel Rivière studied at the Vienna Academy of Applied Arts. He brings myths and other religious experiences of life and death into his work, which deals with the subject of the Tarot, Astrology (Zodiac), and alchemy.
Note
Slightly later, there was a second edition in which the large suit-signs on the court cards were replaced by much smaller ones in line with those on the numeral cards. Indices in English (K, Q, J) were also added, making the cards easier to use. The packs were produced in pale pink or pale blue boxes rather than the deep pink and dark blue boxes of the first edition. All the other cards, including the Joker(s) and the back design, remained the same. The second edition is much more commonly seen than the first - RS. See the boxes►
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
Related Articles
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.
Valhalla spillekort
Characters from the Valhalla comics, designed by Peter Madsen, as commemorated on a Danish stamp.
Frauejass
‘Frauejass / le Jass au féminin’ designed by Susan Csomor, Switzerland, c. 1998.
Feh Schnapskarten
Colourful promotional pack for Feh household and toilet papers.
Zodiaque
“Les Signes du Zodiaque” playing cards designed by Youdi des Aubrys.
Sweden playing cards
Named characters from Swedish history.
Romania playing cards
Romanian voivodes and their wives from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Bourbon Bridge
Attractive, woodcut-style courts adapted for modern play.
Bischofszell
Advertising pack for the food producer Bischofszell, designed by Heinz Looser-Brenner, with non-stan...
Calon Arang • Калон Аранг - Бали
Calon Arang, a figure from 12th-century Javanese and Balinese folklore known as a witch skilled in b...
Scheffmacher
Advertising pack for Scheffmacher, master painters in Schaffhausen, with comic designs by Fritz Bünz...
Portrait de Fribourg
Fine reproduction of a Fribourg pattern pack, originally by Jean-Jacques Burdel.
Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger
Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger, Passau, Bavaria, early 19th century.
Tavaglione playing cards
Well-designed pack by Giorgio Tavaglione, with courts in medieval costume.
Trappola pack by Joseph Fetscher
Trappola pack published by Joseph Fetscher, Graz, 1739.
Celluloid Kasino-Poker Nr.92
published by Mirakel-Spielkarten in Vienna
Mythological and Allegorical tarot
Mythological and Allegorical tarot produced by Peter Paul Fetscher junior, Munich.
Trappola pack by Anton Herrl
Trappola pack of 36 double-ended cards published by Anton Herrl, Graz, Austria.
Swiss Scenic Tarock
Scenic Tarock deck produced by Fabrique de Cartes J. Müller & Cie (Schaffhouse), Suisse.
Disney Princess
Featuring Disney Princesses and Enchanting Tales in two sizes of pack made for Eastern Europe.
Mickey Mouse Rummy
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other Disney characters on a pack made for Eastern Europe.
Lenormand Wahrsage-Karten No. 55
Conventional Lenormand designs on a pack from Piatnik but with unconventional numbering.
Burgdorf Abschreckhärtetechnik
Promotional pack for a German steel hardening business, with designs by Costante Costantini.
Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights (1001 Nights Tarot)
This tarot deck captures the idealised Eastern world's magic from the eighteenth and nineteenth cent...
Psychology, Numerology and playing cards
Numerology assigns significance to individual digits and their combinations, considering them as sym...
Vues et Caractères Suisses No.228
A Swiss souvenir pack by Dondorf
Jeu de Cartomancie pour l’amusement des Dames
Early French Cartomancy deck "for the amusement of Ladies" but also referred to as "Jeu divinatoire ...
Instructive and Educational Playing Cards
Playing cards with an educational and instructive purpose first trended in mid-17th century France, ...
Museo del Prado
Museo del Prado: Pintores y familias reales / Painters and royal families playing cards.
CCCP playing cards
Soviet and other Communist celebrities depicted on every card, designed by Vladislav Pankevitch.
Schwyzer Fasnachts-Jass
Traditional carnival figures from the Swiss canton Schwyz, as interpreted by the artist Léon Schnyde...
Joker Tell
Comic celebration of 700 years of the Swiss Confederation, 1291-1991, with designs by Roland Gazzott...
Possible early astrological playing cards
Two early woodcuts that I believe to be playing cards.
Swiss Souvenir
55 different scenic photographic views of Switzerland.
Standard Swiss-German pattern (single-ended)
20th century version of a single-ended Swiss-German pattern pack for the game of Jass.
Genevan Dauphiné pattern
Unusual example of a double-ended Genevan Dauphiné pattern pack from c1910.
Mini Jass
Pocket-size cards with modern designs for playing the Swiss national card game, Jass.
La Compagnie de 1602
Characters from the annual festival held to commemorate the failed attempt to storm Geneva in 1602. ...
Ilford playing cards
Colourful advertising pack for Ilford designed by Mario Grasso, based on standard English courts.
Imperial Club playing cards
Large index broad size cards by AGMüller using a special red ink suitable for casinos.
Bohemia Moravia
Historical figures from Bohemia and Moravia in Piatnik’s traditional style.