The World of Playing Cards Logo
Published July 03, 1996 Updated June 07, 2023

Early Spanish/Portuguese type

Fragment of a sheet of archaic Spanish-suited 'Dragon' playing cards found during restoration of a house in Antwerp built between 1559 and 1574

Netherlands Portugal History Archaic Patterns Portuguese Pattern Add to Collection

Fragment of a sheet of archaic Spanish-suited ‘Dragon’ playing cards found during restoration of a house in Antwerp built between 1559 and 1574, a period during which the histories of Spain and the Netherlands were connected.

The history of the Spanish Netherlands covers the period from 1556 when, after the abdication of Emperor Charles V, they became the inheritance of his son, King Philip II of Spain, becoming known as the Spanish Netherlands. This period ran until 1715, when the remaining Southern Netherlands came under the authority of the Austrian emperor.

Early Spanish/Portuguese 'Dragon' type c.1550

Above: fragment of a sheet of archaic Spanish-suited ‘Dragon’ playing cards found during restoration of a house in Antwerp built between 1559 and 1574, in a period in which the histories of Spain and the Netherlands were intricately connected. The initials ‘FC’ can be seen on the 9 of swords. The aces feature sea dragons holding the suit symbol; the courts are a seated king, a horse-man and a female page. Cards of this type spread to many parts of the world: examples have been made in, or associated with Italy, Sicily, Portugal, Malta, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, Japan, India and Indonesia.

See also: Francisco Flores, Rimac Valley Excavations in Peru, The South German Engraver.

archaic Latin-suited playing cards by Francisco Flores, Seville, Spain

Further References

Wikipedia: History of the Spanish Netherlands

fragment from King of Coins
avatar
1,433 Articles

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.


Related Articles

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds

A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs

A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts

A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Joker

Woodblock and Stencil Joker

A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.

1745 Burgundy pattern

Burgundy pattern

The old Burgundy (or Burgundian) pattern by Nicolas Chenevet, Dijon.

1870 Kings and Queens of Brazil & Portugal

Kings and Queens of Brazil & Portugal

Historical playing cards by C. L. Wüst depicting monarchs of Brazil and Portugal.

2017 Campari playing cards

Campari playing cards

Publicity pack for Campari, designed for the Portuguese or Brazilian market.

1739 Trappola pack by Joseph Fetscher

Trappola pack by Joseph Fetscher

Trappola pack published by Joseph Fetscher, Graz, 1739.

1760 Lyon pattern by Michel Ressy

Lyon pattern by Michel Ressy

Lyon pattern by Michel Ressy, c.1760.

Trappola pack by Anton Herrl

Trappola pack by Anton Herrl

Trappola pack of 36 double-ended cards published by Anton Herrl, Graz, Austria.

75: Early American cards

75: Early American cards

An overview of some of the early cards made in the United States.

1985 Een Kaartspel

Een Kaartspel

Minimalist playing cards from The Netherlands

2010 Specsavers playing cards

Specsavers playing cards

to help you see better when playing cards

1995 De Tarot in de herstelde orde

De Tarot in de herstelde orde

“De Tarot in de herstelde orde” (The Tarot in the restored order) a re-ordered Rider-Waite tarot dec...

2007 Marcel Ruijters Tarots

Marcel Ruijters Tarots

Two very remarkable tarots by the award winning Dutch cartoonist Marcel Ruijters.

2023 Moorish Deck

Moorish Deck

Review of “Trzes’ Moorish Deck” facsimile published by Ulrich Kaltenborn, Berlin, 2023.

1450 Early German playing cards

Early German playing cards

Some early examples of popular German playing cards from the XV and XVI centuries.

1690 Auvergne Pattern

Auvergne Pattern

The Auvergne pattern is one of the oldest in France.

1693 Infirrera

Infirrera

Italo-Portuguese-suited cards by Andrea Infirrera with the arms of Malta, 1693.

1890 Portuguese cards for Brazil

Portuguese cards for Brazil

Portuguese-type cards made in or for Brazil, c.1890.

1650 The Parisian Tarot

The Parisian Tarot

The “Parisian Tarot”, early 1600s, with imagery and design synthesizing several influences.

1924 Non-standard pack by J.J. Nunes

Non-standard pack by J.J. Nunes

Charming designs reminiscent of older, northern European models.

2005 Theatre of Pain / Teatr Boli

Theatre of Pain / Teatr Boli

Theatre of Pain / Teatr boli playing cards depicting politicians and leaders in the Caucasus territo...

1985 Playing cards by António

Playing cards by António

Caricatures by António Moreira Antunes of Portuguese politicians from the 1980s, with non-standard s...

1609 Vittoriosa Church Museum

Vittoriosa Church Museum

Antique playing cards in Vittoriosa Church Museum dating back to the Knights of Malta period.

Rembrandt playing cards

Rembrandt playing cards

Rembrandt playing cards published by the Rembrandthuis (The Rembrandt House Museum) in Amsterdam. ...

1942 Lidia Schöffer art-deco playing cards

Lidia Schöffer art-deco playing cards

A prize winning design from The Netherlands

73: Fakes, Forgeries and Tax Evasion

73: Fakes, Forgeries and Tax Evasion

When there are official taxes to pay, people will find a way to avoid paying them - often illegally....

1930 Oude Kunst (Old Art) playing cards with Wüst courts

Oude Kunst (Old Art) playing cards with Wüst courts

made for export to the Netherlands.

1909 Dietsche Playing Cards for the Dutch Shipping Company

Dietsche Playing Cards for the Dutch Shipping Company

A beautiful early pack from The Dutch Playing Card factory.

1945 Anonymous pack of Dutch playing cards

Anonymous pack of Dutch playing cards

produced just after the end of the Second World War.

1961 H.P. Doebele

H.P. Doebele

Artist-designed playing cards produced to demonstrate the quality of a printing technique.

1921 Art Nouveau Whist playing cards from a small Dutch factory

Art Nouveau Whist playing cards from a small Dutch factory

The factory probably only produced playing cards for a few years in the 1920's

2019 Foragers playing cards

Foragers playing cards

Playing cards to help to identify the edible and inedible gifts of nature.

Russian Playing Card History - From the Beginnings to 1917

Russian Playing Card History - From the Beginnings to 1917

An in-depth review of the history of card-playing, gambling, legislation, manufacture and taxation o...

1798 Russian Playing Card Monopoly

Russian Playing Card Monopoly

The Russian Playing Card Monopoly was established in March 1798 with all revenue going to support th...

1760 Trappola cards from Prague

Trappola cards from Prague

15 Trappola playing cards possibly made by Johann Ziser of Prague, c1760.

1997 Lost Boys

Lost Boys

Designs created on the occasion of a chess tournament in Antwerp, 1997.

1984 Banco Borges & Irmão

Banco Borges & Irmão

Commemorating the centenary of a Portuguese bank, depicting historical figures.

2012 Kings and Queens of Portugal

Kings and Queens of Portugal

Cameo portraits of Portuguese royalty from 1128 to 1910.

1950 Dutch Historical playing cards

Dutch Historical playing cards

Advertising for Mopenco, the Dutch Fountain Pen King

1460 XV Century Spanish-suited playing cards

XV Century Spanish-suited playing cards

XV Century Spanish-suited playing cards with moorish influences

1880 Lattmann No.9 playing cards

Lattmann No.9 playing cards

with illustrated views of Dutch cities on the aces. This pack is for sale or exchange.