Le jeu de cartes des Croisades

Beginning in 1096 AD, the Crusades convulsed Europe and the Middle East with tales of chivalry and horror. Grimaud’s colorful deck evokes medieval manuscript art as it presents the personages of the Crusades such as Pope Urban II – who was a catalyst for the First Crusade – Saladin, and a dour Richard the Lionheart. The Queen of Diamonds, interestingly enough, is Melusine, the legendary half-woman, half-fish (or half-serpent, depending on the version of the story) progenitor of the House of Lusignan, which at one point ruled the Kingdom of Jerusalem established by the Crusaders.

A pair of energetic devils are jokers while the backs portray two knights on one horse – the emblem of the Knights Templar – in the style of a stained window.