Standard French-suited Bavarian deck by Göbl

Published December 16, 2023 • Updated December 17, 2023

French-suited Bavarian deck by Andreas Benedict Göbl, late 18th c.

French-suited packs arrived rather later to Germany. 40 or 52-card packs like this are often identical in design to the minor cards of the earlier Animal tarots. Most of these single-ended court cards were based on some version of the French ‘Paris’ pattern (which were prohibited from use in France) and which also spread to Belgium, the Netherlands and influenced other Paris-derived patterns. Over time most of these became double-ended.

On the knave of clubs are the arms of Munich and the name "Andreas Benedictus Göbl".

standard French-suited Bavaian-type deck by Andreas Benedict Göbl, late 18th c. © The Trustees of the British Museum

Above: standard French-suited Bavaian-type deck by Andreas Benedict Göbl, Munich, late 18th c. Hand-coloured etching, edges gilt, backs printed with a small diagonal pattern in pink, in original pasteboard case, late 18th Century. © The Trustees of the British Museum • Museum number 1896,0501.264►

The knave and queen of hearts and the queen and king of diamonds display the lozenges of the Bavarian badge; other heraldic motifs can be found including lions and fleur-de-lys. These designs influenced other European card makers and also became a legacy in the court figures of many French-suited tarot packs. See the case►

References

O’Donoghue, Freeman M: Catalogue of the collection of playing cards bequeathed by Lady Charlotte Schreiber, (German 275), Trustees of the British Museum, London, 1901 [digital version here]

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Standard French-suited Bavarian deck by Göbl

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