Tarot cards by Ferdinand Schobert

One of the treasures acquired by the British Museum from the estate of Lady Charlotte Schreiber is a complete deck of historical Besançon-style tarot cards (1) originating from what is now the Czech Republic.

The historical maker provides accurate information about the cards’ production on their faces. The connection between this deck and a specific place and time is therefore unambiguous. This information is provided on the 2 of Coins, so we know that the maker was the workshop of Ferdinand Schober in the town of Neuhaus, now known as Jindřichův Hradec, and the year of manufacture is given on the two of swords as 1751.

In the mid-18th century, the town of Jindřichův Hradec was one of the largest in the Kingdom of Bohemia, with a population of around 4,000 and 400 houses. Historical registry records (2) also mention the local card maker Ferdinand Schober. He was born in Prague in 1710 and is documented as a journeyman in Vienna between 1732 and 1733. Perhaps on his way back to Prague, he came across the workshop of the local card-maker Adalbert Diny in Jindřichův Hradec, who died in 1733. In 1734, Schobert married the widow Agnes Diny (aged 50 at the time) and settled permanently in Jindřichův Hradec. After his death in 1773, his son-in-law Ignatz Rotscheck took over the workshop. Of Ferdinand Schobert’s output, only this single example of his work has survived.

The text on the cards also contains a few peculiarities. Apart from the questionable French spelling of the card names (3), there is the use of the Roman numeral for ten, ‘X’, on the Wands and Cups, written as two ‘V’s, even though the Coins, Swords and Tarots are labelled correctly. Also, the letter ‘N’ is always depicted in mirror image, with the exception of the text on the 2 of Coins and the description of the Queen of Cups. Given the period in which it was created, however, this is nothing out of the ordinary.

I find it interesting that this is specifically the ‘Besançon Tarot’, which was the prevailing style in the area that is now the southern part of the border between France and Germany. And this ‘relative novelty’ is being published by an established company with a 15-year history of operation in a remote Czech town. It should be noted that the first official mention of the tarot game in Bohemia is Empress Maria Theresa’s tax patent from 1759 (4). This effectively confirms the prevalence of similar cards. The creator of the Jindřichův Hradec design may be another artist listed on Tarot card No. VII as ‘A.C. Rickwa. delin. 1750’. The Latin term ‘delineavit’, abbreviated to ‘delin.’, translates as ‘drew’ and thus refers to the original designer of the deck.

When I see card packs that are this complete and well-preserved – even when compared to those of a significantly more recent date (5) that a collector might hold in their hands – I always wonder how they managed it. I suppose that very soon the deck becomes a collector’s item or a memorabilia and no longer serves its primary purpose – for playing games. And the reason this happens may be the quality of its craftsmanship, its rarity, its peculiarity or its unique personal history.

The conclusion should be drawn from the text on the ‘2 of Swords’ card: ‘Aufrichtig gespielt und wohlgemein erhalt dass gilt unargutte freunt 1751’, which I would take the liberty of translating as ‘Play fair and take good care of your money, my dear friend’. Thank you for your advice, Mr Schobert.