José Martínez de Castro, page 2

Cards from a deck etched on copper by José Martínez de Castro and first published by Clemente Roxas in Madrid in 1810. This example is from the second (censored) edition of 1812, in which extra drapery has been added to the miniature nude figures.

Similar designs were used in the 1850s by Manuel Bertschinger y Codina and Sebastian Comas y Ricart, both from Barcelona. The designs have also been copied by Italian cardmakers in the 20th century. A facsimile was published by Heraclio Fournier (Vitoria, Spain) in 1977, titled Baraja Neoclasica.

The most noteworthy feature of its history is that this design has since been adopted for use in Sardinia, where it is now regarded as the standard local pattern. Allowing for the limitations of present-day production methods, the Sardinian pack follows the Roxas original quite closely.