Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner playing cards designed by Melchior Annen.
Richard Wagner by Melchior Annen
Richard Wagner playing cards were printed by AGMüller in 1968, featuring scenes and personages from Wagner's operas. The pack had been designed in 1920 by Swiss artist and illustrator Melchior Annen (1868-1954) whose output included watercolours, posters and prints, and who also designed several other packs for Müller & Cie.
Above: Richard Wagner playing cards designed by Melchior Annen and produced by AGMüller in 1968.
Above: a page from the booklet, courtesy Valentin Zadunaisky.
Also by Melchior Annen: ‘Rococco’ • ‘Troubador’ or ‘Humanist’ • ‘Casino’.
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.
Trending Articles
Popular articles from the past 28 days
Related Articles
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.
Music playing cards
Portraits of 13 classical music composers.
So-Lah – A Game of Music
An early 20th century domino-type musical card game by Goodall.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
American teen film depicting students staging their last spring musical.
Le Jeu des Musiciens
Artist Silvia Maddonni’s gently humorous take on musicians and their instruments.
The Beatles playing cards
Two packs featuring photos of The Beatles issued by the same publisher in 2004 and 2005.
Frauejass
‘Frauejass / le Jass au féminin’ designed by Susan Csomor, Switzerland, c. 1998.
Les Tontons du Rock
Caricatures of rock and pop stars in black and white by Charles Da Costa.
That’s Entertainment
A deck of 55 cards celebrating 20th Century vaudeville, musicals and cabaret.
Rock & Pop Legends
Stunning photos of a selection of US and UK music artists.
The Beatles • Yellow Submarine
A colourful deck celebrating the 1968 animated feature film based on the Lennon/McCartney song of th...
Paco Lobo
Highly original and striking designs by Paco Lobo for the fashion house of the same name.
Bourbon Bridge
Attractive, woodcut-style courts adapted for modern play.
Bischofszell
Advertising pack for the food producer Bischofszell, designed by Heinz Looser-Brenner, with non-stan...
Wedding of Krechinsky • Свадьба Кречинского
A pack of cards depicting characters from the famous play "The Wedding of Krechinsky" by Sukhovo-Kob...
Scheffmacher
Advertising pack for Scheffmacher, master painters in Schaffhausen, with comic designs by Fritz Bünz...
Jeu Boléro
Sweeping, semi-abstract designs by J.L. Jolin in red and black only.
Knoll International
Geometric designs by the French artist Jean Garçon for Knoll International, the furniture company.
Marcello Morandini
Modern designs by Italian artist Marcello Morandini using the simplest of forms and colours.
Portrait de Fribourg
Fine reproduction of a Fribourg pattern pack, originally by Jean-Jacques Burdel.
Claude Weisbuch
Free reinterpretation of the traditional Paris pattern courts by the artist Claude Weisbuch.
Tavaglione playing cards
Well-designed pack by Giorgio Tavaglione, with courts in medieval costume.
Jeu des Copains
French popular singing stars of the 1960s.
El Niño de las Pinturas
Forty-nine distinctive works by Spanish graffiti artist Raúl Ruiz.
Old Met playing cards
Old Met playing cards published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, USA, 1986.
Swiss Scenic Tarock
Scenic Tarock deck produced by Fabrique de Cartes J. Müller & Cie (Schaffhouse), Suisse.
Branle playing cards
‘Branle’ playing cards inspired by a 12th-century dance, produced by Noir Arts, USA, 2015.
Banjo playing cards
Banjo playing cards featuring the collection of Akira Tsumura, Japan, c. 1978.
Pendleton playing cards
Pendleton playing cards inspired by indigenous American artwork, USA, 2019.
Jeu de cartes des Opéras romantiques
Costumes from four operas premiered at the Paris Opera between 1830 and 1840.
Old School Playing cards from Moon
Designed and published by Leo Scherfig
Dandy Rock’n Bubble
56 rock and pop stars of the 1980s, issued in Denmark with bubble gum.
Britney Spears Oracle
Britney Spears Oracle: A Deck and Guidebook to Be Stronger Than Yesterday — a card set for Britney f...
Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights (1001 Nights Tarot)
This tarot deck captures the idealised Eastern world's magic from the eighteenth and nineteenth cent...
ORIENT The Queen of Cards
A unique Art creation of Subho Tagore
Newtropolis and the Fantastic Fur
Newtropolis and the Fantastic Fur: Heroes vs. Villains playing cards illustrated by Peter Wood, 2015...
Wagner’s “Ring” playing cards
Wagner’s “Ring” playing cards, with illustrations by Sir Arthur Rackham, published by Prospero Art, ...
Vues et Caractères Suisses No.228
A Swiss souvenir pack by Dondorf
Baraja Española de Pintores Murcianos
A Spanish-suited pack as conceived by 48 different artists from the region of Murcia.
Le Jeu d’Issy
Bold designs by Jacques Auriac representing people and enterprises for which the town of Issy-les-Mo...
Bilder zum Tarot
Detailed pen and ink drawings of the major arcana by the German artist Helmut Wonschick.