Cashmere
Bernhard Altmann is from the “The House of Cashmere” and these playing cards honour their best known commodity: the fleece of the graceful horned Cashmere goat.
Bernhard Altmann: Cashmere Playing Cards
Manufactured by: Ferd. Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, 1950s
Bernhard Altmann is from the “The House of Cashmere” and these playing cards honour their best known commodity: the fleece of the graceful horned Cashmere goat. Hans Lang created the symbolic artwork for the deck, dedicating each suit to the group of people that had the greatest significance for Cashmere through the ages: Clubs-Chinese; Hearts-Indians; Spades-Persians; Diamonds-Mongolians. The King of Clubs is Ch'ien Lung, the wisest of modern Chinese emperors. The King of Hearts is Aurung-Zeb, Indian warrior, ruler of the Mogul Empire. The King of Spades is the Persian Nadir Shah, who conquered the Empire of the Moguls. The King of Diamonds is the Mongol, Kublai Khan, grandson of Jenghis Khan, host of Marco Polo and the first known patron of the Cashmere trade...
Above: the 12 court cards from Bernhard Altmann's "Cashmere Playing Cards" printed by Ferd. Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, c.1950s. The court cards are warriors, rulers and women who were particularly interested in the Cashmere trade. Ace to 10 (not shown) are vignettes that portray attributes of each group of people.
Right: The Artwork on the back of the cards in Ancient Mongol script is the Seal of Khans: "when the command of the allpowerful Khan of the Great Mongol People, which is as the might of Eternal Heaven, is handed down to subject peoples, they must tremble and obey." One back is in red and one in black. The Jokers have Chinese Theatrical Masks. The back of the box is marked 'Made in Austria by Ferd. Piatnik & Sons Vienna'. Images courtesy Barney Townshend.
By Barney Townshend
Member since October 06, 2015
Retired Airline Pilot, interested in: Transformation Playing Cards, Karl Gerich and Elaine Lewis. Secretary of the EPCS. Treasurer of the IPCS.
Related Articles
Queen of Arts
A wide variety of women artists celebrated on cards with illustrations by Laura Callaghan.
Fredericks & Mae playing cards
A rainbow pack from the design team of Fredericks & Mae and Benjamin English.
Pam is the Knave of Clubs
Playing cards as metaphors in 18th century art - from fate, chance and social hierarchy t...
Play Architecture
Twentieth century architects and their creations on a well-designed pack from Finland.
Leadmill playing cards
Promotional pack for an arts centre in Sheffield with designs by Martin F. Bedford.
Art pack I
Art pack featuring Old Masters, including Bruegel, Vermeer, Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, Canaletto, ...
Typographic Playing Cards
Typographic Playing Cards designed by Jim Sutherland, c.2010.
Damn! Fools by Moon
Damn! Fools playing cards designed by Leo Scherfig, 2022.
Karl Korab
Austrian artist Karl Korab’s first pack, displaying his use of different techniques.
Crown Hill playing cards
Crown Hill playing cards with illustrations by Corrine Guiney, USA,
Johann Nejedly Tarok Cards
Johann Nejedly, a 19th-century Viennese card maker, produced Tarock cards featuring modern scenes th...
Austria Ski Team playing cards
Photos of members of the Austrian skiing team replace the normal courts on two different packs.
Heathen Divinities
Handmade playing cards from the British Museum depicting classical Greek and Roman gods and goddesse...
Grunwald 1410 – The Battle of Tannenberg
Details from the famous painting of the Battle of Grunwald (1410) by the Polish painter Jan Matejko....
Colonial Art
A collection of 53 pieces of art showcasing detailed scenes from early American colonial life.
Joseph Sürch, Engraver
Joseph Sürch, a prominent Viennese engraver, made significant contributions to card sheet engraving ...
Trending Articles
Popular articles from the past 28 days
