Wüst Lenormand deck, c.1860
This is probably the earliest Mademoiselle Lenormand deck produced by Wüst, stencil coloured and dating from about 1860. The reverse has a dotted pattern. The inset court cards are different to later Lenormand decks, but a chromo printed version also uses these court cards. A maṇḍala of 36 cards (perhaps representing 360° of space) depicting worldly appearances and revelatory symbols for exploring inner states through intuitive vision?
Above: Wüst Lenormand fortune telling cards, c.1860. 36 cards, size 76 x 43 mm, which is slightly smaller than later versions. Images courtesy Paul Symons.
REFERENCES
Shaw, Martin & Symons, Paul: Playing cards from the factory C.L.Wüst, Frankfurt, Germany (1811-1927), Catalogue of the exhibition held at the Nationaal Museum van de Speelkaart, Turnhout, Belgium, 23 September-31 December 2005.
