Danish playing cards - Tarock trumps
Two versions of trump no.15 depicting the Thorvaldsen Museum.
Below: two versions of trump no.15 depicting the Thorvaldsen Museum, completed in 1848. In the Salomon editions (right), Arabic numerals replace the Roman ones.
Images courtesy Hans Jørgen Hinrup and notes taken from his article published in The Playing-Card Vol.31, no.5, IPCS London, March-Apr 2003.
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
View ArticlesCurator 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.
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Cartas Gitanas
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Piatnik & Söhne “Industrie und Glück” Tarok c.1905-1910.
Warburg’s Danske
Warburg’s Danske playing cards published by Aktieselskabet Emil Jensen, København, 1944.
Warburg’s Skandinaviske Bridge Kort
“Warburg’s Skandinaviske Bridge Kort” published by Aktieselskabet Emil Jensen, København, c.1935.
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Jugendstil Tarock
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Animal Tarot
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P. Steinmann
Single-figure provincial Paris pattern cards with traditional names on the courts manufactured in Copenhagen by P. Steinmann, c.1820.
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C.L.Keiblinger, Copenhagen 1852-85
C.L.Keiblinger, Copenhagen 1852-85
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In 1988 the Danish School of Design set the examination project to design a pack of playing cards. Thomas Damkier designed this royalty deck, called “Dronningespillet” (Game of Queens).
Jacob Holmblad c.1830
An amazing difference can be seen between the early and the later Jacob Holmblad packs, covering a time span of only 17 years.
Jacob Holmblad, 1820s
The Q♥ has a butterfly net in which she has caught four hearts. Many of Holmblad's designs were replaced or changed in different editions, but this design was not used again.
Jacob Holmblad c.1820
Standard woodblock and stencil deck produced by Jacob Holmblad with double-ended court cards in the tradition of the French ‘Paris’ pattern. The A♥ features a red over-stamp referring to Jacob Holmblad's royal license to print playing-cards which had been granted in 1820.
Holmblad Animal Tarot
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L. P. Holmblad, c.1845
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Tarock Cards
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