Carte di Natale

The Italian artist and sculptor Pier Canosa was born in Vasto in 1940. Among his creations for the Cortina Art Gallery in Milan are an erotic pack and this Christmas pack. It is hard to describe the style of his work. One or more human figures in native or period costume adorn each of the numeral cards, with reversible (or near reversible) characters on the court cards. Three of the 3s show a Virgin and Child or the Holy Family, while the 4s appear to show tradespeople. Musicians and mythological figures are also included. A limited palette range has been used – mainly browns and oranges and shades of blue and green. Are the designs original or are they taken from other works of art? Only a serious art historian can answer that. As the Ace of Spades depicts a baby, do the intertwined initials “JC” at the foot stand for Jesus Christ? The artist has added his name to the Joker and the back design and has also signed the extra card the back of which is plain white • See the box

Above: Carte di Natale published by the Cortina Art Gallery, Milan, Italy, 1983. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 extra card in tuck box. Size: 65 x 90 mm.

There is an error on the 7 of Hearts: one ‘7’ has accidentally been reversed.