Jeu des Quatre Saisons de l’An II
“Jeu des Quatre Saisons de l’An II” facsimile of French Revolution deck originally published by J. B. Debeine (Reims) 1793.
One achievement of the Revolution was the liberation of card makers from reproducing the official standard pattern. “Jeu des Quatre Saisons de l’An II” is a French Revolution pack originally printed from woodblocks and coloured with stencils and published by J. B. Debeine (Reims) 1793. The traditional hierarchical royalty have been replaced with new humanist figures including rural activities and philosophers.
Five original cards can be viewed on the Bibliothèque Nationale de France website►
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie, PET FOL-KH-34 (A, 26).
A facsimile edition titled “Jeu des Quatre Saisons de l’An II” was published by Éditions Dusserre in 1988 (see below).
Facsimile Edition
Above: “Jeu des Quatre Saisons de l’An II”, facsimile published by Éditions Dusserre in 1988 of original deck published by J. B. Debeine (Reims) 1793. 52 cards + 3 jokers + extra card in box. Images courtesy Matt Probert.
By Matt Probert
Member since March 02, 2012
I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.
Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.
Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.
I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.
Related Articles
Catalan pattern by B.P Grimaud
Standard Spanish Catalan pattern deck made in Paris by B.P Grimaud.
Pam is the Knave of Clubs
Playing cards as metaphors in 18th century art - from fate, chance and social hierarchy t...
Dr Sacheverell
Dr. Henry Sacheverell's impeachment in 1710 sparked widespread public unrest and political upheaval,...
Cartes politiques : Jeu d'actualité
Political playing cards published by Grimaud et Chartier, Paris, 1872.
Politiker-Skat by Bubec
Caricatures of world leaders, including many German politicians, by the artist Bubec.
Le Poker Politique
French politicians and various world leaders caricatured by the German artist Bubec.
Swiss playing cards by Iehan Hemau
17th century Swiss-suited playing cards by Iehan Hemau of Épinal.
SCOR playing cards
Bizarre and fantastical images by the artist Roland Topor for the SCOR reinsurance company.
Archaic Franco-Spanish pattern
Archaic Franco-Spanish pattern by Guillaume & Jean Grossard (Bordeaux).
Les Jeux de Pastor
Striking designs by Edouard Pastor focusing on the heads of figures from the medieval period.
Le Jeu des Personnages de l’Antiquité et du Moyen-Age
Edouard Pastor’s designs in black and gold inspired by Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Rouen Pattern - Portrait Rouennais
An attractive XV century French-suited design from Rouen became the standard English & Anglo-America...
Archaic Spanish proof sheets
2 x uncoloured proof sheets of archaic Spanish-suited playing cards produced for “New Spain”, possib...
English Pattern by B.P. Grimaud
Standard English pattern published by B.P. Grimaud with engraving by F. Simon, c.1880.
Jeu de Tarot (Catel & Farcy)
Colourful version of a standard French (‘Bourgeois’) Tarot.
Smith-Corona Marchant
Simplified yet colourful court card designs by Avoine for Smith-Corona Marchant.
Trending Articles
Popular articles from the past 28 days
