Llombart pattern playing cards from Spain

Shown here is a Spanish suited pack of playing cards made Anton Llombart of Barcelona, Spain in 1824. This type of cards is often referred to as the 'Plumed Hat' pattern due to the distinctive feathered hats featured on the cavaliers and sotas in the pack. Its origins are not clear, but the cards by Llombart are maybe the earliest type known which prompted Sylvia Mann to name it the Llombart pattern in her book "All cards on the Table". The pack of 48 cards was printed from woodblocks and are stencil coloured.

The literature tells us that the original Llombart woodblocks were eventually sold to the Camoin factory in Marseille, France who continued to print the cards for some time. Other factories in France, Germany and Belgium have also produced versions of the pattern which eventually fell into disuse in the latter part of the 19th century. You can see an early version from Mexico here and an early version from Germany here.

Below: The reverse of the cards and the 4 of cups.

References:
- The Playing Cards of Spain, Trevor Denning, 1996. Page 74-75
- All cards on the Table, Syvia Mann, 1990. No.47

All cards shown are from the collection of Paul Symons ©