Tarocco Gumppenberg

Complete pack of 78 playing-cards for Tarocchi from the British Museum. The artwork on the court cards reflects Neoclassical and imperial tastes of the time, with antiquarian and pseudo-Roman iconography, in the popular engraved tradition of Lombard playing cards. All the cards have refined, elegant detailing, and narrow ornamental borders. This aligns with Gumppenberg’s wider output, which frequently adopted an “imperial antiquity” aesthetic influenced by contemporary Austrian and German graphic fashions, of stylish and modern recreational cards for a trick-taking game, not esoteric.

The standard allegorical imagery on the trumps was not mystical secrets but the familiar and much-admired "Trionfi" that had been part of Italian card-playing culture for over four centuries. The transformation of the Tarot into a mystical artifact happened not in Italy, but in France, beginning in the late 18th century (driven by figures such as Antoine Court de Gébelin and Jean-Baptiste Alliette or 'Etteilla'). Gumppenberg was not operating in that world. He was a card manufacturer and an "innovative master of Italian paper art," not an occult publisher.

The presence of a tax stamp on the ace of swords helps date the deck. This stamp was in use in the 'Kingdom of Italy' under Napoleonic reign from 1807 to 1814. The text is 'REGNO D'ITALIA', and the value is '25 CEN.' (25 centesimi).

Cards from a pack of 78 playing-cards for Tarocchi, the suit-marks being of the Spanish type, by Ferdinando Gumppenberg, Milan, c.1810. Hand-coloured etching and index numbers in top left-hand corner on pip cards. The court cards have titles in Italian in the lower border. Backs printed with a pattern of red stars. © The Trustees of the British Museum number 1896,0501.14 ►

Producing a Spanish-suited deck allowed Gumppenberg to market his products not only to local Milanese players accustomed to French or Italian-suited Tarocchi, but also to merchants, travellers, and migrants from other Italian regions (e.g., Naples, Sicily, Romagna) who were familiar with the Spanish suit system. He was known for producing a variety of distinct patterns to cater to different tastes.