Hand-Painted & Handmade Playing Cards

Hand-painted and handmade cards range from medieval luxury sets to amateur parlour creations and improvised wartime packs. Techniques include watercolour and gouache over pen-and-ink, hand-colouring of printed outlines, fabric inlays and work on alternative materials such as lacquered boards. Examples include the Stuttgart painted pack, the Flemish Hunting Deck and the Ambraser Hofjagdspiel; transformation work such as Around the World in 54 Cards; hand-made ganjifa; and small home-made picture games like Old Fashioned Snap.