Venus et Cupidon
“Venus et Cupidon” from Costante Costantini in his distinctive woodcut style.
Venus et Cupidon is another charmingly risqué deck from Costantini, rendered in his distinctive woodcut style. It is a standard 52 card deck in an edition of 999, with 2 Jokers and a title card, all presented in an illustrated sleeve, which is housed in a pale blue lidded box with gold metallic lettering. See the box►
In art and literature, Venus and Cupid have been popular subjects for centuries, symbolizing themes of love, desire, beauty, and the complexities of human relationships. Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, depicted as a stunning and alluring figure. Cupid, known as Eros in Greek mythology, is the god of love and desire. He is often portrayed as a young boy with wings, armed with a bow and arrows, mischievous and playful, sometimes causing chaos and romance with his arrows.






Above: “Venus et Cupidon” designed by Costante Costantini, published by Vito Arienti and Soleil-Lion (Solleone) in 1985. Cards measure 92x60mm.

By Adam West-Watson
Member since September 01, 2014
I have been fascinated by playing cards ever since I can remember, and still have several of the card games I had as a child. And although I had accumulated quite a number of packs of various sorts over the years, it wasn't until I was in my 50s that I began collecting in earnest. My tastes are quite varied, and my collection of 800 or so decks includes:- children's games, standard and non-standard playing cards, adult games, fortune telling and oracle cards, tarot cards, and even cigarette cards.
Related Articles

Late flowering of the Lyon pattern
Faustino Solesio’s late version of the Lyon pattern from about 1870.

Luditz Pattern by Georg Geiselreiter
The discovery of 2024 changes the current state of knowledge of the history of this pattern.

Agent Provocateur
Branded lingerie collection in a pack of pin-up playing cards.

The Decadent Deck
Studies in the eroticism of the female body by Inge Clayton.

Czech National Patterns by S.D. Modiano
Modiano produced cards with the Prague and Trappola patterns in the early 20th century.

Sunday Night / Nichiyoubi no Yoru
An irreverent, avant-garde deck unofficially titled "Nichiyoubi no Yoru" (Sunday Night), designed by...

Emilio Tadini playing cards
Beautiful dreamlike playing card designs by Emilio Tadini.

Austrian Tarock by S.D. Modiano
Modiano’s Austrian Tarock with country scenes has been in production for over 100 years.

Le carte da gioco Arcimboldo
Courts and suit-signs inspired by the works of the Italian Renaissance painter, Giuseppe Arcimboldo....

22 Pittori in 22 Arcani
Collaborative Tarot with contributions from 22 different Italian artists including Menegazzi and Tav...

Justice playing cards
Ethical concepts in a deck produced by Riccardo Conturbia’s Passione Playing Cards Ltd.

Alan Tarot Deck
Reprint of a Tarock pack originally designed by Argio Orell for the Austrian Lloyd shipping company....

Il Tarocco del Mondo Nuovo
Imaginative Tarot card designs by Amerigo Folchi relating to Columbus and the New World.

22 Artisti Liguri in 22 Arcani
Collaborative set of major arcana devoted to Christopher Columbus and his voyages of discovery.

Carte di Colombo
Fully illustrated pack designed by Pier Canosa commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery ...

Carte di Natale
Designed by Pier Canosa as a Christmas pack for the Cortina Art Gallery in Milan.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days