Kingdom of Playing Cards
Francesco Faggiano has created a pack inspired by Neapolitan cards.
Francesco Faggiano has created a pack inspired by Neapolitan cards, illustrations and images can be viewed on Francesco's Behance portfolio►
Background Information & Inspiration
I have always been fascinated by the illustrations of Italian playing cards, in particular the "Neapolitan cards", for centuries spread in Bel Paese, commonly used especially in the South. Intrigued by the esoteric and aesthetic value of this particular artifact, I decided to rework these illustrations graphically, proposing a more simplified and modern version, seeking a graphic solution which refers to the original illustrations of the fifteenth century and simultaneously fostering new impressions.
These cards are pretty important to me because in south Italy are commonly used and since I was child I learned to play all kind of games. I started from this theme and developed a modern graphic look as you can see from my portfolio. Following the original style of Neapolitan cards I built some new esoteric meaning, since these cards are strictly related to tarots, to create new impressions.
So you can see a struggle between good and evil, represented by golds/trophies and swords/clubs. Golds and trophies are similar to shields, protecting from swords and clubs, clearly weapons. Golds represent spiritual victories while trophies material victories. On the contrary swords represent justice and punishment, while clubs rough punishment and violence. Three kings of trophies/swords/clubs are vassals of the main king of golds and as you can see, each suit has a bit of gold everywhere. So I named this project Kingdom of Playing Cards, because of four reigns under a single king.
By Adam Wintle
Member since March 15, 1997
Adam has been involved in developing the site as well as reviewing new decks and conducting research. He is particularly interested in innovation, Kickstarter and East Asian cards. He is a member of the IPCS and webmaster of the EPCS.
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 Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.
Poker Lusso
Richly costumed courts on a luxury poker pack from Masenghini.
Pinocchio playing cards
Comic book drawings inspired by Carlo Collodi’s children’s classic, Pinocchio.
Le Ore playing cards
Caricatures of famous personalities from the late 1970s for the Italian magazine Le Ore.
Carte Romantiche Italiane
Scenes of life and the theatre in Milan towards the second half of the 19th century.
Lo Stampatore
‘Lo Stampatore’ linocut images created by Sergio Favret, published as a deck of cards by Editions So...
Leonardo collection
Leonardo collection playing cards with drawings from his notebooks.
Lo Cartescacco / Chess playing cards
Playing cards designed by F. Romagnoli bringing together Chess and Bridge, Italy, c. 1981.
Il Vostro Destino
Italian fortune-telling pack produced by Viassone and later by Masenghini.
San Paolo Shakespeare
San Paolo Shakespeare, Italy, 1978
Le Carte di Forattini
Political caricatures by Giorgio Forattini published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Italy, 1993.
San Paolo Chekhov
Characters from Chekhov’s plays designed by Paolo Fresu for San Paolo Istituto Bancario, Italy, c.19...
Storia del Fascismo - gioco di carte
‘Storia del Fascismo’ playing cards depicting persons, symbols and artifacts associated with Italian...
The Lovers playing cards
Reproductions of old postcards with romantic messages for Valentine’s Day.
I Gatti Originali di Evelyne Nicod
Etchings of cats on a set of major arcana created by Evelyne Nicod.
Carte Osteologiche
Skulls and bones of all descriptions have become the suits and pips in this 40-card pack from Italy....
Marcello Morandini
Modern designs by Italian artist Marcello Morandini using the simplest of forms and colours.
Storia del Fascismo
Published by Il Meneghello, this pack provides a visual history of Fascism in Italy between 1919 and...
Jack-O’-Lantern Tarot
Giuliano Costa's Jack-O’-Lantern tarot blends Rider-Waite symbolism with the rich and atmospheric th...
Schwarze Katze (or Gioco del Gatto Nero)
Reproduction of a 40-card transformation pack with designs by “WS”, adapted for the game of Black Ca...
Hot-Air Balloons & Co.
Hot-air balloons and airships from the early days to 1988, with designs by S. Baraldi and F. Tacconi...
Carte da Gioco Mongolfiere
Various hot-air balloons on a pack from a small Florentine publisher.
Mercante in Fiera di Jacovitti
Traditional Italian card game with comic designs by Benito Jacovitti.
Le Nuove Minchiate di Firenze
Costante Costantini's second Minchiate deck, “Le Nuove Minchiate di Firenze”, was published by Solle...
Bolognese pattern
Standard Bolognese pattern pack by Murari of Bari.
Minchiate Fiorentine
Minchiate Fiorentine created by Costante Costantini, published by Edizioni del Solleone.
I Tarocchi del Cinema (di Sesar)
A set of Tarot trumps on the subject of the cinema, with designs by Sergio Sarri.
Le carte della Fortuna
Modern Italian fortune-telling pack from 1975, with designs by Sergio Ruffolo.
Art Nouveau Oracle
A Lenormand-type fortune-telling pack in the Art Nouveau style.
Tarocco Indovino
Sergio Ruffolo’s “Tarocco Indovino” is an expanded version of his “Lo Zodiaco” cartomancy deck.
Il Mercante in Fiera del Solleone
Traditional Italian card game with bold designs by Costante Costantini.
Venus et Cupidon
“Venus et Cupidon” from Costante Costantini in his distinctive woodcut style.
Italia playing cards
Small, narrow cards designed by Osvaldo Menegazzi, bearing a strong resemblance to a Swedish pattern...
Napoleone playing cards
Long, narrow cards designed by Osvaldo Menegazzi, featuring Napoleon, Josephine and various soldiers...
Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico
Promotional pack for Chianti Classico wine, with designs by Costante Costantini.
Burgdorf Abschreckhärtetechnik
Promotional pack for a German steel hardening business, with designs by Costante Costantini.
P. Buscaglia: Spanish-suited cards
Spanish-suited cards published by P. Buscaglia, Mele & Genova.
Carte Bolognesi
New designs reinforcing Bologna’s reputation as the gastronomic capital of Italy.
Le carte di Tex
Characters from the famous Italian comic book series, Tex, created by Gian Luigi Bonelli and Aurelio...
Florentine pattern variant
Non-standard designs by Chiari of Florence with some of the features of a traditional Florentine pat...
Natural History Tarocchi
Natural History Tarocchi by Ferdinando Gumppenberg, Milan.