Baraja de Juan Martín Zamorano

This Spanish deck was published by the Priego de Córdoba Council (Andalucia) to commemorate the restoration of the well-known ‘Pendón de los Zamorano’¹, a heraldic military flag dating from 1501 donated to the town by the Madrid-Tisner family. The cards were designed by the Priego de Córdoba Municipal Historical Museum² in coordination with VeoVeo Global Communication Management, bringing to life the early XVI century resistance struggles by muslim communities against which the miltary pennant prevailed • See the box

The military flag is painted on both sides of a linen cloth, with a scene dominated by the Apostle James on horseback, speeding to rescue, sword in hand, a young Pedro Fernández de Córdoba y Pacheco, who is lying on the ground. At one end, the noble coat of arms of his father is held by the black eagle of the House of Aguilar. Iconographic elements from the flag have been incorporated into these playing cards.

Above: Baraja de Juan Martín Zamorano published by the Ayuntamiento de Priego de Córdoba, printed by Hilario Rojas, February 2025. 48 cards + 2 jokers + title card in tuckbox. Size 110 x 73 mm. Cards courtesy Rafael Carmona Ávila.

The design of the cards, historicist and with an aged appearance, is inspired by the pictorial motifs that appear on the flag or pennant: oros (flowers), copas (shells), swords and clubs (drawing of the flag taken from a 17th-century document), including knaves and knights. The figure of the king (king + queen) is taken from a coin of the Catholic Monarchs, contemporary with the military banner. Likewise, there are many nods to the history of playing cards between the 16th and 19th centuries, with various legends included on several cards.

References

1. El Pendón de los Zamorano►
2. Museo Histórico Municipal de Priego de Córdoba: priegodecordoba.es/temas/museo-historico-municipal►