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Source Description
Playing cards were invented in China 1,000 years ago but were unknown in Europe before the mid-14th century. It is believed that cards as we know them were introduced to Spain from North Africa when both areas were under Muslim control. French cards, such as those displayed here, are the closest visually to those we use today. These paper cards have yet to be cut and were never used, but the final product would have been fairly affordable.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
78634
label
Uncut Sheet of Printed Playing Cards
core
obj
dtoType
print
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
78634
sourceUrl
contentType
print
stage
normalized
title
Uncut Sheet of Printed Playing Cards
description
Playing cards were invented in China 1,000 years ago but were unknown in Europe before the mid-14th century. It is believed that cards as we know them were introduced to Spain from North Africa when both areas were under Muslim control. French cards, such as those displayed here, are the closest visually to those we use today. These paper cards have yet to be cut and were never used, but the final product would have been fairly affordable.
provenance
Dr. Richard Ettinghausen, Washington D.C. [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, January 1959, by gift.
date
1491-1524
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Prints
playing cards
fragments
woodblock prints
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
28.3
height
21
dimensionsRaw
H: 11 1/8 x W: 8 1/4 in. (28.3 x 21 cm)
Source extras
med
paper with ink
creator_ids
16349
collection_ids
MSS
exhibition_ids
683
2829
158
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
46f349e5e80454c9