Persian Miniatures
Persian Miniatures, made in Hungary c.1990.
Persian Miniatures playing cards, made in Hungary c.1990.
Miniature paintings add visual imagery to a literary plot by blending artistic and poetic languages, making it more enjoyable and easier to understand. In these attractive playing cards the 4 jacks are horsemen hunters. The queens appear with courtiers or lovers offering gifts. The kings are seated on daises beneath canopies and the four aces depict scenes of courtship and love. Overall this makes a delightful deck of cards!
By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)
Member since January 30, 2009
Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.
His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.
Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.
Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.
His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.
Related Articles
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.
Le Roi bridge
Reprint of a Piatnik (Budapest) pack of 1927 with Hungarian historical figures and scenic aces.
Postabank 3
Caricatures of German personalities on a promotional pack for a Hungarian commercial bank.
Postabank 1
Caricatures of Hungarian politicians on a promotional pack for a commercial bank.
Costume Playing Cards
Four centuries of costumes from the Costume Court at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Baraja de Alava
55 different paintings by Emilio Lope depicting the history and culture of Vitoria and the province ...
Impressionist Art Cards
Details of 13 paintings by 8 different Impressionist artists on elongated cards.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Pack featuring six images from the Disney film of the same name, on cards made for Eastern Europe.
Âs Nas playing cards with box
Hand made cards from Persia
Winnie the Pooh Rummy
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh and friends on a pack made for Eastern Europe.
Âs Nas
Âs Nas type playing cards from Persia.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Characters and scenes from the Disney film of the same name, on a pack made for Eastern Europe.
Disney Princess
Featuring Disney Princesses and Enchanting Tales in two sizes of pack made for Eastern Europe.
Mickey Mouse Rummy
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other Disney characters on a pack made for Eastern Europe.
Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights (1001 Nights Tarot)
This tarot deck captures the idealised Eastern world's magic from the eighteenth and nineteenth cent...
Krónikás kártya
A German-suited pack from Hungary in honour of the millennium.
Presidential playing cards
Presidential playing cards with portraits from Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, USA.
Budapest souvenir
Colour views of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, on all the courts and Aces.
Le Jeu d’Issy
Bold designs by Jacques Auriac representing people and enterprises for which the town of Issy-les-Mo...
El Desnudo en el Arte
The Nude in Art / El Desnudo en el Arte, Spain, 1977 (reprint 1990)
Museo del Prado
Museo del Prado: Pintores y familias reales / Painters and royal families playing cards.
Ases de la pintura / Masters of painting
Ases de la pintura / Masters of painting playing cards made by Naipes Comas, Spain, c.1990.
Art Genius playing cards
Art Genius playing cards with illustrations by Rebecca Clarke and published by Laurence King Publish...
Scarfes Bar playing cards
‘Scarfes Bar’ satirical playing cards with cartoons by Gerald Scarfe, United Kingdom.
Mexican Artdeck
Works by 14 different 20th century Mexican artists.
Rembrandt playing cards
Rembrandt playing cards published by the Rembrandthuis (The Rembrandt House Museum) in Amsterdam. ...
Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art playing cards designed by Takenobu Igarashi.
Guildhall Art Gallery playing cards
54 different paintings from the collection of the Guildhall Art Gallery, London.
Ukiyo-E (Nintendo)
Classic examples of Ukiyo-E painting.
Dada and Surrealist Art
Dada and Surrealist Art playing cards featuring artwork by Arturo Schwarz, 1998.
Cleveland Museum of Art artists card game
Cleveland Museum of Art artists card game, USA, c.1993.
Joshi Bharát Tarot
A set of the major arcana created by an Indian fortune-teller living in Hungary.
Treasures of the Hermitage / Shedevry Ermitazha
‘Treasures of the Hermitage Museum’ souvenir playing cards (‘Shedevry Ermitazha’), Russia.
Charta Bellica
“Charta Bellica” playing cards produced by Piatnik, Budapest in 2009.
IBUSZ folklore playing cards
Hungarian folklore pack produced by IBUSZ travel agency, c. 1965.
55 Mucha Paintings on Playing Cards
Fully illustrated pack featuring a large selection of Mucha’s works.
Fernando Valenti
Designs by Italian artist Fernando Valenti issued to coincide with an exhibition of his work in 1986...
Treasures of the Russian Museum
Treasures of the Russian Museum / Russkii Muzei : suvenirnye igral’nye karty.
Playing cards in Russian life
Playing cards in Russian life - Karty v zhizni Rossii - published by Aleksandr Lutkovskii in 2004.
Juego de Naipes Andalusí
Andalusian playing cards designed by Marifé Montoya Carrillo with booklet by Jorge Lirola Delgado, 2...
Römihártya
Römihártya pin-up deck from Hungary.