Zürcher Festspiel 1903

Robert Hardmeyer (1876-1919) was a Swiss graphic artist best known for his poster designs. In this pack there is a bold use of four colours – red, blue, green and yellow – with one of these colours being predominant in each suit. Those colours also make up the patchwork cloaks and dresses of the courts whose black-and-white faces are the likenesses of real people from the worlds of art and politics. Of note, all the courts on the suit of flowers (roses) are female. The bell suit-signs have been given comical faces on all but the courts. The arms of the canton of Zürich have been used throughout the suit of shields. On each daus there is a two-line rhyme. The artist’s initials or full name also appear on each daus. The back design is made up of a pattern of four-leaved clover. The same pattern appears all over the box►

Above: Zürcher Festspiel playing cards made by Gebrüder Fretz, Zürich, Switzerland, 1903. Published by Verlag des Lesezirkels Hottingen, Zürich. 36 cards in clamshell box. Size: 54 x 85 mm.

Reference

Schweizer Spielkarten catalogue, 1978. Page 228, no. 175.