L. P. Holmblad, c.1845
Holmblad ordered his earlier designs to be re-drawn and updated. Comparison of packs from this era show instances where one figure is replaced by another more imposing version.
Lauritz P. Holmblad (1815-1890) ordered his earlier designs to be re-drawn and updated. Comparison of packs from this era show instances where one figure is replaced by another more imposing version. The artwork shown here provides a fascinating insight into the creative processes at work between pencil drawings on paper, with delicate rendering of local colour, light, shade and texture and the etched, printed and stencil-coloured playing cards. The artists' and models' identities are not known.
Fortune Buchholtz comments: "Several of these faces seem quite familiar to me - they are highly reminiscent of various royal portraits in the Danish Rosenborg Castle. This opened to the public in 1838, so by the 1845 these portraits would have been well-known to the educated in Denmark."
Above: an early L. P. Holmblad deck, c.1845 and some of the original drawings. The royal licence had been transferred to him in 1841 so by making his new playing card designs highly reminiscent of royal portraits perhaps he was seeking to establish a reputation with the best clientèle. All images courtesy Hans J. Hinrup.
REFERENCES
Hinrup, Hans J.: The Holmblad Playing Card Patterns, in "The Playing-Card" vol.33 no.4, IPCS London, Apr-June 2005.
By Simon Wintle
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.
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