Tarocco Piedmontese by Fabrica de Naipes La Primitiva, Bs Aires
Tarocco Piedmontese by Fabrica de Naipes La Primitiva, Defensa 125, Buenos Aires c.1890.

Piedmontese Tarot by Fábrica de Naipes La Primitiva, Defensa 125, Buenos Aires.
The cards shown here date from c.1890. The card names are in Italian. The reverse has a red plaid pattern on blue background. The b/w logo of a deer between two trees on the ace of coins is that of Sebastian Comas of Barcelona (Spain) whose standard cards La Primitiva was imitating. It is not known whether the logo was used with permission.
Naipes La Primitiva are also known at Moreno 248 and Victoria 3179, Bs. As.

Similar Piedmontese tarot packs were also produced at later dates by Mario Colombo and Cappellano S.A. The divinatory meanings written in Spanish in ink on the edges of some cards shows that the pack belonged to a student of fortune-telling, rather than a card-player.

By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
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