Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
Famous people associated with Nicolas Fouquet’s splendid château of Vaux-le-Vicomte.
When Nicolas Fouquet (KC), the king’s Superintendent of Finances, lavishly entertained Louis XIV (KH) at Vaux-le-Vicomte in August 1661, little did he realise that, only a few weeks later, he would be arrested, tried and imprisoned, replaced by the ambitious Jean-Baptiste Colbert (KD). Some of Fouquet’s friends, including Jean de La Fontaine (JH) and Madame de Sévigné (QD), remained loyal to him. All these and other characters linked to Fouquet or to Vaux-le-Vicomte are featured on the court cards in this pack. There are four different photographic views of the château on the Aces. In the background of all the numeral cards is a squirrel, since Fouquet’s name in Artois dialect meant ‘squirrel’. A portrait of Molière, whose comedy Les Facheux was first performed at Vaux-le-Vicomte, appears on the Jokers. See the box►
Above: Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte playing cards published by Atelier Monique Arnold, Paris, France, 1994. Printed by Carta Mundi, Turnhout, Belgium. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 bridge scoring table + leaflet in French and English in tuck box. The back design is reproduced on the back of the box. Size: 63 x 88 mm.
A portrait of Molière appears on the Jokers. See the leaflet in English • French►
By Roddy Somerville
Member since May 31, 2022
Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
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