Portuguese Pattern Playing Cards - Cartas Portuguezas
16th century cards discovered in Peru
Fragments of playing cards and 2 dice were unearthed in a 16th century rubbish tip adjacent to a Spanish house in the lower Rimac Valley in Peru, providing evidence of games played by early Spanish settlers.
27: Cards at Strangers’ Hall, Norwich
There is a very interesting collection of playing cards held at the Strangers' Hall Museum in Norwich.
Cartas Portuguezas
Portuguese pattern playing cards published in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, late 19th century.
Early Spanish/Portuguese type
Fragment of a sheet of archaic Spanish-suited 'Dragon' playing cards found during restoration of a house in Antwerp built between 1559 and 1574
Francisco Flores
Playing cards in this style have been discovered in various parts of the world, suggesting that they were exported or carried there by early explorers or merchants.
Infirrera
Italo-Portuguese-suited cards by Andrea Infirrera with the arms of Malta, 1693.
Malta
The so-called ‘Dragon Cards’, with winged monsters on the four Aces, are an enigmatic aspect of early playing card history.
Portuguese cards for Brazil
Portuguese-type cards made in or for Brazil, c.1890.
Portuguese pattern
19th century Portuguese pattern, re-printed from original woodblocks.
Portuguese Playing Cards
The Real Fábrica de Cartas de Jogar was founded in 1769, by Royal Charter of King José, under the master craftsman Lorenzo Solezio, brother of Félix Solesio who ran the Spanish Real Fábrica at Macharaviaya.
Portuguese Type Cards made in Belgium
Portuguese Type Playing Cards made in Belgium, c.1878.
Portuguese Type Playing Cards c.1860
10 cards from a pack of later Portuguese ‘Dragon’ type cards from c.1860, with the Maid of batons about to club a dog.
Portuguese Type Playing Cards made in Belgium
Portuguese type pack with ‘dragon’ aces made in Belgium by Mesmaekers Frères, Turnhout, c.1875-1900.
Portuguese-suited cards
Portuguese-suited cards with dragon aces, made in Italy, 1613.
Tensho Mekuri - Japan
Tensho Mekuri cards hand-made by Patricia Kirk, 2003.
Vittoriosa Church Museum
Antique playing cards in Vittoriosa Church Museum dating back to the Knights of Malta period.