Possible early astrological playing cards
Two early woodcuts that I believe to be playing cards.
I am Zachary Fisher, a collector of woodcuts.
As an Atolycus, I am a "snapper up of unconsidered [Ebay] trifles," so when these two small unidentified woodcuts, both 59 x 38 mm, came up for $50 as a pair and I couldn't pass them up. They've intrigued me ever since. One is almost certainly Mercury and the other is most likely Zeus, but beyond that, I'm at a loss.
The problem is that I've not gotten closer to identifying them in the two years since I've had them. My initial hunch was that they were fifteenth or sixteen century Italian cards, but that is based on little more than a gut feeling and some resemblances in style to the period. They have no watermarks or anything I can use to identify them.
I was wondering if anyone in the playing card community could get me closer to getting a rough idea of when and where they were made.
Related Articles
Victorian grocer’s scale plate
Large flat plate decorated with highly coloured English cards and royal arms.
Il Tarocco Mitologico
Fully pictorial Tarot designed by Amerigo Folchi with figures mainly from Greek mythology.
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.
Heathen Divinities
Handmade playing cards from the British Museum depicting classical Greek and Roman gods and goddesse...
Grunwald 1410 – The Battle of Tannenberg
Details from the famous painting of the Battle of Grunwald (1410) by the Polish painter Jan Matejko....
Medieval Heraldry
53 cards of original hand painted prints taken from medieval manuscripts.
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.
Valhalla spillekort
Characters from the Valhalla comics, designed by Peter Madsen, as commemorated on a Danish stamp.
Liber Ludorum
Liber Ludorum playing cards created by Ian Cumpstey in the insular style, United Kingdom, 2019.
Zodiaque
“Les Signes du Zodiaque” playing cards designed by Youdi des Aubrys.
Jeu Gothique
‘Jeu Gothique’ illustrating the Gothic period in France, published by Editions Dusserre.
Calon Arang • Калон Аранг - Бали
Calon Arang, a figure from 12th-century Javanese and Balinese folklore known as a witch skilled in b...
Sylvanian Families mini playing cards
Miniature cards in sheet form with Sylvanian Families characters on the courts and Jokers.
Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger
Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger, Passau, Bavaria, early 19th century.