Portuguese-suited cards
Portuguese-suited cards with dragon aces, made in Italy, 1613.
‘Portuguese’-suited cards with dragon aces and king (seated), maid (standing) and cavalier court hierarchy, made in Italy. The swords are straight and intersecting, with the date 1613 visible on the two of swords. The maids of cups and swords hold shields bearing a column suggesting the cardmaker 'Alla Colonna in Piazza Nicosia' believed to be in Rome. Small details of design correspond closely with other ‘Portuguese’-suited packs made at this time, with index letters and numbers at the top and bottom center of each card.
Note: The names of the suit systems do not indicate their country of origin. The label 'Portuguese' is simply convenient to indicate association with a particular country, but the system was not confined to that country alone. It travelled with Portuguese colonialists and traders to South East Asia, as well as being used in Brazil, Sicily and in certain tarot packs. It was also carried abroad by Spanish sailors and explorers. The dragons on the aces were copied on all derivatives produced in India, Indonesia and Japan etc, hence they are often called ‘Dragon cards’.
Above: two fragmentary uncut sheets of Portuguese-suited playing cards made in Rome, Italy, 1613. © The Trustees of the British Museum • Museum number 1896,0501.1089►
References
O’Donoghue, Freeman M: Catalogue of the collection of playing cards bequeathed by Lady Charlotte Schreiber, Trustees of the British Museum, London, 1901 (Sheets Italian 1) [digital version here]
Dummett, Michael: The Game of Tarot: From Ferrara to Salt Lake City, Duckworth, 1980
By Simon Wintle
Spain • Member since February 01, 1996 • Contact
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
Related Articles
Early German playing cards
Some early examples of popular German playing cards from the XV and XVI centuries.
Portuguese cards for Brazil
Portuguese-type cards made in or for Brazil, c.1890.
Toledo, 1584
Archaic Spanish-suited deck with 48 cards made in Toledo in 1584.
Portuguese pattern
19th century Portuguese pattern, re-printed from original woodblocks.
Minchiate Fiorentine, 17th C.
17th century Minchiate cards reprinted from the original woodblocks.
XV Century Catalan playing cards
XV Century Catalan Playing Cards, featuring four female Sotas, four Aces and four cards from the sui...
The Combination of Images and Text on early playing cards
When playing cards have titles or legends these reference a written/literary tradition of some form....
Malta
The so-called ‘Dragon Cards’, with winged monsters on the four Aces, are an enigmatic aspect of earl...
Navarra, XVII Century
Facsimile of 17th century Spanish-suited playing cards produced by Erregeak, Sormen S.A., Vitoria-Ga...
Agostino Bergallo
Agostino Bergallo Spanish pattern made for South American countries
Giuseppe Cattino
Playing cards manufactured in Italy by Giuseppe Cattino and Paolo Montanar for Spanish markets.
Pedro Bosio
Cards of the Spanish National Pattern 'Money Bag' type manufactured by Pedro Bosio, Genova (Italy) ...
Francisco Flores
Playing cards in this style have been discovered in various parts of the world, suggesting that they...
Baraja Morisca — Early XV century playing cards
Primitive Latin suited pack, dated by paper analysis as early XV century, which makes this one of th...
XV Century Italian Playing Cards
Cards from a pack of an early form of north Italian playing cards, with the swords back-to-back and ...
Sicilian playing cards by Antonio Monasta
"Il Leon" Sicilian playing cards, 40-card pack based on Spanish designs, made in Sicily by Antonio M...
Italian Playing Cards
The first reliable evidence that playing cards were being used in Italy is from 1376, when a game ca...
Early Spanish/Portuguese type
Fragment of a sheet of archaic Spanish-suited 'Dragon' playing cards found during restoration of a h...
Playing cards in the Upper Rhine region
Documentary evidence suggests that card playing established itself in Italy in 1376, and then spread...
16th century cards discovered in Peru
Fragments of playing cards and 2 dice were unearthed in a 16th century rubbish tip adjace...
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
