Mémoires de Casanova

‘Mémoires de Casanova’, c.1960

Mémoires de Casanova luxury artistic and lightly risqué playing cards with miniature paintings by Paul-Émile Bécat, published by Éditions Philibert, Paris, c.1960. Paul-Émile Bécat (1885–1960) was a French painter, printmaker and engraver who is best known for his portraits of French writers, and for his erotic works. Becat began specializing in erotic art quite late in his career, during the 1930s. Before then his focus was mostly on portraits and not-so-erotic literature. The number cards display women alone, while the courts and Aces display men and women. The images in the court cards are reversible so every royal card has two interpretations depending on which way up you hold them that seamlessly flow into one another.

Above: Mémoires de Casanova artistic and lightly risqué playing cards with paintings by Paul-Émile Bécat, published by Éditions Philibert, Paris, c.1960. . Images courtesy Barney Townshend.