Romagnole pattern by Guglielmo Murari
Romagnole pattern by Guglielmo Murari c.1920
Romagnole pattern by Guglielmo Murari c.1920
Above: cards from a Romagnole pattern 40 card pack made by Guglielmo Murari of Bari (c.1880-1929), in around 1920. The cards were originally wood engraved, but this example has been printed lithographically. The engraving of the factory is taken from the wrapper.
• See an earlier example with wrapper on the British Museum website: Museum number 1901,0110.5.1-40►
Right: 2 Lire tax band, which was affixed around the outer wrapper, with the legend 'R. Privative' which also appears on the tax stamp visible on the ace of coins.
The Romagnole pack - used in the Romagna region - has a similar composition to the Piacentine pack and an angel on the ace of swords. Cards displaying Spanish style occur in those parts of Italy formerly under Spanish influence, such as 'Napoletane', 'Piacentine', 'Romagnole', 'Sarde' and 'Sicilian' types.
Above: Romagnole pattern cards made in Germany by A.S.S.
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
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