Pierre Varangot
Tracing the origins, legality and legacy of Pierre Varangot’s San Sebastián deck.
As the usual “Con Licencia” notice is not evident, and the maker has only initialled the deck P.V. rather than inscribe his full name, this pack may have been smuggled. Pierre Varangot came from Bayonne in France, and worked for Pamplona General Hospital between 1744 and 1753, during which period his contract forbade him from producing cards outside the institution’s jurisdiction. Therefore the production date of this deck must be either before or after these years; we are inclined to infer it predates 1744.
The two of swords mentions San Sebastián as the place of origin (a provenance it shares only with a deck by Juan Barbot, c.1765). The Varangot family's links to this town, which borders Bayonne, are well established, although it remains possible that San Sebastián was cited fraudulently to avoid legal complications. In any case, this is one of the few surviving examples of the connection between cardmakers in the southwest of France and the Spanish market, particularly Navarra, Aragón, and northern Spain, with the rare addition of a precise origin, which is uncommon among most documented decks of this type.
The Ace and 5 of coins tended to be based on Double Excellent Gold Coins of the Catholic Monarchs
Above: Archaic Franco-Spanish pattern with maker’s initials P.V. estimated c.1740. 48 cards (complete). From the collection of Enrique García Martín.
References
Pérez González, Alberto : Pedro Varangot, indagaciones sobre un naipero itinerante, to appear in La Sota No.54, October 2025.
Museo Fourner de Naipes de Ávila : Baraja española por Pierre Varangot►
Nota: ediciones de LA SOTA se pueden pedir en el sitio web de Asescoin ►
By Alberto Pérez González
Spain • Member since December 21, 2016
I am a researcher and my primary interest lies in playing cards manufactured in Cádiz (not the 'Cádiz' type in general). I have authored several articles in the annual Asescoin magazine 'La Sota'. Among them are: “Madrid’s Playing Cards from the 17th to the 20th Century”; “New Contributions to the Study of Playing Cards in the Valencian Country”; “The Fouquets: 'Navarra pattern' in the Netherlands”; “Divided Playing Cards: Combining Ingenuity with Skill”; “Here Be Dragons: Speculations on the Evolution of the so-called 'Portuguese' Pattern”; “Playing Cards in Chile: News and Chronicles from the Viceroyalty Era”...
I have written and designed the book “Los Naipes de Cádiz” (296 pp). Additionally, I have contributed to the design, layout, and collaboration in Enrique García Martín’s book “Naipes, Arte y Fantasía” (444 pp).
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