Llombart pattern playing cards from Spain
also known as the Plumed Hat pattern.
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 ©
By Paul Symons
Netherlands • Member since February 01, 2016
I'm British but I have now lived in the Netherlands for more than 50 years and am still enjoying every minute of it. I started collecting playing cards in the early 1980’s after speaking with my neighbour who was at that time a croupier in a casino. I started with just collecting jokers, but that soon led me to complete packs of cards and eventually to specialising in old and antique playing cards, particularly those of C.L. Wüst of Frankfurt, Germany. I am presently the Dutch representative of the I.P.C.S. and the auctioneer at the IPCS conventions.
Activity for Llombart pattern playing cards from Spain
Sign in to comment or save this article.
Related Articles
The archaic “Classic Madrid” Pattern
Centralisation, standardisation and consolidation of the Spanish card tradition.
Baraja Quimera
An imaginative reinterpretation of the Spanish-suited deck in a contemporary folk-art style.
Heráldica Castanyer No. 16
Strange variant of international pattern cards for poker or bridge.
Braulio Fournier
Baraja Nº 1 produced by Braulio Fournier, Burgos, c.1868.
QAIPES – cartas españolas
Spanish-suited cards made in China inscribed “QAIPES” and “BAIPES”!
Miniature spanish-suited playing cards
Pack of 48 miniature spanish playing-cards published by C R.
Juan Humanes y Cía
Raimundo García pattern published by Juan Humanes y Cía, Madrid, 1879.
Llombart Costume Pack
Military-style costume pack made by Anton Llombart, Barcelona, 1815.
Juan de Brugada
Spanish National pattern by Juan de Brugada e hijo, Real Fábrica de Madrid, 1821.
Four Continents playing cards
made by Fulladosa y Comp of Barcelona
The British Royal visit to India playing cards
printed in Spain for British India in 1911.
Alejo Gabarró Catalan pattern
Alejo Gabarró “El Cuervo” Catalan pattern playing cards, Igualada, Spain, c.1904.
García y Boyer
Spanish-suited pack in the ‘Raimundo García’ pattern produced by García y Boyer, Igualada, c.1880.
Chocolate playing cards with scenes from World War 1
An extraordinary Spanish pack of chocolate advertising playing cards dating from 1920.
Llombart pattern
The Llombart pattern originated in Spain during the early 19th century.
Naipes del Salitre
Playing cards recovered from the Northern Chile saltpetre workers. The cards are mostly from Spanish...
Spanish Playing Cards ~ La Baraja Española
Spain has played a pivotal role in the history of playing cards in Europe and Latin America.
Significado de los Naipes Españoles
Cartomantic meanings of Spanish playing cards by Benita the Witch (XVI century), published by Chocol...
Baraja Boxeo
Baraja de Boxeo, c.1930.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
