Dreveton - Provence pattern
French cardmakers Jean and François Dreveton lived in Aix-en-Provence.
French master cardmakers Jean Dreveton (active 1668-1683) and François Dreveton (active 1696-1737), were both registered at Aix-en-Provence
Jean Dreveton
Jean Dreveton, a master cardmaker at Aix-en-Provence, was married to Marguerite Geoffroy. He was the brother-in-law of Jean Payen, a merchant-cartier established in Marseille before 1686.
Above: three cards by Dreveton l'aîné, whose name appears on the jack of hearts, 1695-1738. The jack of hearts has his right arm resting on his hip and holds his halberd with the other hand. The queen of clubs holds a sunflower. Stencil-coloured woodcuts. Source gallica.bnf.fr
Above: Provence pattern by Dreveton c.1696. Image source: d'Allemagne, Henry-René : Les cartes à jouer du XIVe au XXe siècle, Hachette et Cie, Paris, 1906, vol.1, p.123. The jacks of clubs and spades have scrolls showing the master cardmaker's name. The Provence pattern was used in south-western France: Aix, Marseille, Toulon, Avignon, Nimes and Montpellier. See also: Bibliothèque nationale de France: impression photomécanique de cartes de tête au portrait de Provence éditées par Dreveton l'aîné à Aix-en-Provence►
François Dreveton (active 1696-1737)
Above: sheets of Provence pattern outlines, which were prepared for use as stencils, printed by François Dreveton (Aix-en-Provence), 1696-1737. The jack of clubs (2nd row) has an official tax stamp stating ‘Cartes de Provence’ and the date 1708. Most of the designs contain the elaborate signature of the tax authority. The King of Clubs wields a battle axe and has been found as the King of Coins in early Spanish or Italian-suited packs and has become the King of Hearts in English packs (also known as the 'Suicide King'). The Queen of Hearts is a fur-covered 'Wild Woman' (bottom right).
References
Bibliothèque nationale de France: Cartes de divers jeux de fabrication française►
Bibliothèque nationale de France: Fragments de feuilles ayant servi d'imprimures►
Bibliothèque nationale de France: Fragment d'une feuille de moulage d'un jeu de cartes au portrait de Provence découpée pour servir d'imprimure►
d'Allemagne, Henry-René : Les cartes à jouer du XIVe au XXe siècle, Hachette et Cie, Paris, 1906, vol.1, p.119 ff.
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
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