The Comedy of Courtship

Almost like a sequence of humorous prints, these delicately engraved and hand-coloured cards reflect mid-19th century bourgeois views of romance and the popular fantasies surrounding universal themes of attraction, jealousy, longing and fidelity. Set in recognisable interiors - bedrooms, parlours, doorways and gardens - the scenes depict the timeless foibles of courtship and falling in love, whose excitement and humour remain as recognisable today as they would have been to their original audience. By contrast, the court cards retain the traditional convention of playing-card royalty, transporting the viewer into an imaginary historical world that stands apart from the everyday domestic narratives of the numeral cards.

The hearts suit almost resembles an illustrated novella, progressing through the stages of romantic pursuit, in which the emotions - and the humour - remain surprisingly timeless. From the suitor's hesitant first approach, through clandestine meetings, misunderstandings and jealous rivalries, to eventual reconciliation, each card captures a recognisable episode in the comedy of courtship. The figures are outlined with delicate engraved lines and then coloured by hand with transparent washes, giving the cards a light, almost theatrical appearance. This decorative quality is more pronounced on the court cards who wear romanticised robes and regalia that belong to an imagined historical world.

The Valet of hearts, dressed in a sort of Renaissance revival costume, similar to outfits worn in historical dramas, holds a shield which bears the maker's name and address. The Dame is an allegorical "Queen" rather than a fashionable lady: she wears a long blue-and-white gown, jewelled girdle, flowing veil and a crown. The King is a romanticised, almost operatic hero standing in a curtained niche, rather than a real contemporary figure.

In the spades numeral cards the satire is broadened beyond contemporary bourgeois courtship and into the realm of fantasy, popular literature and Orientalism. The playful scene on the Ace invites the viewer into an imagined world of luxury and sensuality, while the Two continues the Oriental theme with a turbaned ruler admiring a young woman who appears to be presenting herself before him. Such scenes would have been instantly recognisable from the stage, where Turkish, Persian and Moorish settings provided colourful backdrops for melodramtic adventures.

From there the suit shifts effortlessly between different romantic conventions: the comic flirtation of a chimney sweep and servant girl in a kitchen; the young woman imprisoned by religious vows of the convent, yearning for freedom and real love; scenes of medieval chivalry inspired by Romantic literature; and the touching farewell between a young soldier and his sweetheart, recalling the enduring theme of love tested by military service. Together these episodes show Steinberger ranging far beyond everyday observation, drawing on the visual language of exotic harems, the stage, the popular novel, convent escapes and historical romance to create a series of playful, sentimental and gently satirical vignettes.

The diamonds suit continues Steinberger's exploration of love, but now contrasts the ideal with the everyday. Classical mythology and Romantic fantasy sit comfortably alongside scenes drawn from contemporary life. The Ace depicts Leda and the Swan, while the Three presents a nude maiden in an idyllic landscape, the Five idealises pastoral beauty and the Six a graceful bather beside the water, recalling the classical tradition of nymphs and Venus. Between these elevated visions, the Two returns to an ordinary domestic interior with someone peeping, the Nine perhaps alludes to tension between vows of chastity and ordinary human desires, while the Ten reveals an embracing couple half-hidden behind drawn curtains, inviting the viewer to become a discreet witness to an intimate moment. Whether inspired by religion, mythology or everyday experience, each scene presents a different vision of beauty, desire or courtship (ultimately expected to culminate in respectable marriage), yet none is treated with complete seriousness. Steinberger gently reminds us that love, however grandly imagined, ultimately remains a very human affair.

The Jack, Queen and King appear in idealised courtly or regal costume, continuing the historical revival already seen in the Hearts and Spades suits. Perhaps they lend an air of an imagined, chivalric past and timeless elegance, which contrasts with contemporary worldly imagery.

The Clubs suit seems to explore the consequences and complications of love. On the Ace a lady lies in bed with her pet, while a man lifts the sheet to see the naked woman. The Two raises questions of fidelity rather than flirtation. A man wearing a blue coat gestures or admonishes a seated lady while another man secretly observes through the doorway. The Three depicts a lady helping her lover to climb over a fence, but an elderly gentleman looking down from the wall suggests the ever-present risk of discovery. The Four returns to allegory with a draped female dancing on the water, giving the appearance of a nymph. On the Five a young woman adjusts her stocking in the view of a jester kneeling beside her. The jester introduces a note of folly into feminine vanity and infatuation.

The Six depicts a woman comforting an elderly man on the couch. This is a scene of tenderness rather than seduction, reminding us that affection continues beyond youthful romance. The Seven shows lovers embracing while on the Eight a nude female figure rides upon the back of what looks like an old dog. The Nine suggests the inevitable passing of time, and the Ten portrays another affectionate couple strolling together.

Once again the court cards stand outside the contemporary narratives. The Jack appears as a Renaissance-style guardsman in a striding pose, while the Queen, dressed in medievalising costume and wearing a crown, embodies an ideal of womanhood. The King stands in the entrance to his royal pavilion or command tent.

The pack is much more than a collection of amusing vignettes: it is a witty visual essay on the many faces of love, moving from youthful flirtation to mature relationships while gently exposing the vanities, illusions and absurdities that nineteenth-century audiences would have recognised in themselves, and which we may also recognise in ourselves.