Hunting playing cards
Hunting playing cards / “Okhotnich’i karty” with illustrations by the court artist Mihály Zichy.
Every card in this pack depicts a winter hunting scene from the reign of Tsar Alexander II created by the court artist Mihály Zichy (1827 – 1906). Zichy lived and worked primarily in St. Petersburg and Paris during his career. He would accompany Tsar Alexander II on his frequent hunting trips to the Gatchina Palace – a royal palace where the Tsar had built a hunting village and other facilities for his imperial hunting court.
Water colour paintings based on the artist’s sketches were created and placed into albums (now in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg). 52 of the water colours were selected and a pack of cards was created, but never published. The cards were, however, displayed in an exhibition at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, in 2005. This pack appears to be an undated facsimile of the original, probably following the exhibition. A miniature playing card on the upper half of each card indicates its denomination.
Above: Hunting playing cards / “Okhotnich’i karty” with illustrations by the court artist Mihály Zichy (1827–1906). There is no indication of the publisher or date on the tuck box. 52 cards; there are no jokers, and the card dimensions are 86 x 53 mm.
By Peter Burnett
United Kingdom • Member since July 27, 2022
I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.
Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.
Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.
Activity for Hunting playing cards
Sign in to comment or save this article.
Related Articles
Inglewood Hunting Deck
Inglewood Hunting Deck created by Ian Cumpstey, United Kingdom, 2023.
Jägerkarte Nr.465
Dondorf Jägerkarte Nr. 465 playing cards dedicated to the theme of hunting, c.1930.
A Bouquet of Pheasants
A Bouquet of Pheasants playing cards produced by Jennifer Gaudion, United Kingdom, 2019.
James Purdey Signature playing cards
James Purdey & Sons is a long-established gun manufacturer founded in 1814 in London.
Pack of Prejudice
A political pack produced by the Countryside Alliance about a ban on hunting.
German hunting pack by Theodor Wegener
Hunters, animals and birds feature on all but the Kings in this pack by Theodor Wegener, c.1863-70.
Fox & Hounds
Fox & Hounds card game published by C.W. Faulkner & Co., c.1899.
Wild und Hund Skat
Hunting deck designed by Walter Niedl for “Wild und Hund” magazine, c.1977
Jagd Skat
German-suited hunting themed deck designed by Günter Schmitz and made by VEB Altenburg, 1980.
Hunter’s Bridge
“Hunter’s Bridge” playing cards by ASS depicting animals and associated symbols of hunting, c.1976. ...
D’Ye Ken John Peel
“D’Ye Ken John Peel” by Greta Games, Carlisle, c.1920.
St Hubert’s Bridge
“St Hubert’s Bridge” published by Éditions Philibert, Paris, c.1956.
Stuttgart pack, c.1430
The luxury, hand-painted Stuttgart Cards (Stuttgarter Kartenspiel) dated c.1430, with suits of ducks...
Flemish Hunting Deck
Set of medieval playing cards with King, Queen, Knave and numeral cards from one to ten in each of f...
Spielkarte für Schützen
“Spielkarte für Schützen” deck designed by Karl Heinz Lanz, published by Rudolf Bechtold and Co., c....
Waddington’s Sporting Series
Waddington’s Sporting Series, 1933.
The Princely Hunting pack, c.1440
The Princely Hunting Pack, c.1440/45, is attributed to Konrad Witz and his workshop in Basle.
Hunting Depicted on Playing Cards
In the Middle Ages hunting was an integral part of life.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
