Divine Art
Divine Art Playing Cards by Sunish Chabba & Guru Playing Card Company, 2016.
Divine Art Playing Cards is a limited edition produced by Sunish Chabba & Guru Playing Card Company, 2016, inspired by Hindu mythology. Because of the cultural ties to India, the deck aims to keep alive the visions of traditional art forms and will appeal to a wide range of tastes. Showcasing precision and technically exquisite detail, design credits are also due to Anaya Purandare & Anjali D'Souza.

The Project was relaunched in a White Gold edition on kickstarter►
The Court Cards
The basis of the Indian world view is of Cosmic unity underlying the physical diversity of the world, through which man transcends himself. Since almost every Indian folk art form is based on Hindu mythology, the jacks, queens and kings of each suit depict various Gods and Goddesses as well as their mounts (vahanas/vehicles). The coherent colour palette also has an underlying symbolic meaning.
Above: the court cards have the quality of a block print, which is commonly known to leave white spaces between different parts of a pattern or illustration. Visnu, Shiva, Brahma, Krishna... the deities depicted on the court cards, along with their respective consorts, evoke man’s relatedness to the cosmos.
The Four Aces
Four Custom Aces also incorporate symbolism from Indian mythology and follow the same sequence as the courts. Concentric lines define volume and create a rhythmic unity, and the underlying geometrical forms generate a pleasing multi-dimensional effect.

Above: the ace of spades represents Vishnu's forehead adornment; the ace of diamonds is the trident symbol of Lord Shiva; the ace of clubs is the Lotus of Lord Brahma upon which he sits; the ace of hearts is the peacock feather, symbol of Krishna.
The Numeral Cards
The original designs for the number cards include a hint of a hidden mathematical order, giving a universal appeal at the level of archetypes, which completely transcends the usual mundane arrangement of pips. The contrasting pale and dark pip colours are very clear and enhance the legibility of the design.

Above: the curved forms and detached elements in the pip motifs are inspired by traditional Indian art. The elementary geometrical forms generate multi-dimensional figures, like patterns of forces, which suggest a hidden mystery.
And Finally...

Above: this classic back is inspired by Mehndi/Henna designs. The two tricksters – Mohini (femme fatale, enchantress) and Narada (Vedic sage, traveling musician and storyteller) disobey the normal rules of accepted conventional behaviour and may even use secret knowledge to play tricks. The prototype deck is printed by MPC, Hong Kong. The main production will be done by Expert Playing Card Co if Kickstarter succeeds.
The Project has been relaunched here on kickstarter►

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.
Related Articles

Beowulf
Jackson Robinson's Beowulf playing card deck inspired by the Old English pagan poem.

Pam is the Knave of Clubs
Playing cards as metaphors in 18th century art - from fate, chance and social hierarchy t...

Czech Bohemian style playing cards
Czech Bohemian style playing cards with a charming aesthetic, reflecting the cultural and social lif...

Il Tarocco Mitologico
Fully pictorial Tarot designed by Amerigo Folchi with figures mainly from Greek mythology.

Santo Mexico playing cards
Santo Mexico playing cards designed by Cédric Volon with Mexico-associated symbols.

Gallia Belgica playing cards
Gallia Belgica playing cards by Cédric Volon presenting a view of Belgian culture and folklore.

Heathen Divinities
Handmade playing cards from the British Museum depicting classical Greek and Roman gods and goddesse...

Ganjifa - Playing Cards from India
Indian playing cards, known as Ganjifa, feature intricate designs with twelve suits and are traditio...

Hanuman and the Five Riders
A selection cards showing characters from the 1975 Thai-Japanese film.

Euskal Herriko Mitologia
Important figures from Basque mythology, named in four languages.

Eves Playing Cards
A pack of cards with colour photos of Indian film stars from the era

Asha Industries’ Castilian pattern
Colourful Spanish (Castilian) pattern cards made by Asha Industries in India for Mexico.

Valhalla spillekort
Characters from the Valhalla comics, designed by Peter Madsen, as commemorated on a Danish stamp.

Pinocchio playing cards
Comic book drawings inspired by Carlo Collodi’s children’s classic, Pinocchio.

Norfin® Trolls
Troll dolls with gaudy hairstyles in a multitude of different costumes.

Calon Arang • Калон Аранг - Бали
Calon Arang, a figure from 12th-century Javanese and Balinese folklore known as a witch skilled in b...
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days