Four of Spades Marlborough and his Times
Printmaker: Unknown
A scene in the bedchamber of the ailing King Louis XIV of France, where his Queen, Madame de Maintenon is giving him a cup of blood to drink.
From a complete pack of 52 playing-cards commemorating the victories of the Duke of Marlborough in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). Spades satirise the French enemy, the other three suits represent scenes from the campaigns, mostly in the Netherlands, also in Spain and Belgium; the aces, court and some numeral cards are portraits or satirical or allegorical scenes.
A museum catalogue card is included with the pack and pasted with a printed cutting from a sale catalogue, which has been crossed out in graphite: 'CARDS, A Pack of 52 Curious old Engraved Cards / representing Humourous and Comical Scenes, Military / Portraits of Blucher, Wellington, etc. National Emblematic Figures etc. engraved by L. OSIANDER, scarce'. A graphite inscription written on the card below: 'Pack of 52 line-engraved cards, of historical scenes & personages relating to the War of the Spanish Succession.'. The verso is blank.
The pack of cards and catalogue card are contained inside a folded manilla envelope inscribed in ink in a calligraphic hand: 'Marlborough's Victories / A pack of 52 cards / Reproduced in _Playing Cards [of various ages and countries] / selected from the collection of Lady Charlotte Schreiber_, Vol. 1, plates / 35-38 / See also _BM Satires_, vol. II / nos. 1342-4, 1429, 1435, 1452, 1461, 1491, 1492, 1543, 1544, 1557, / 1560-5, 1576, 1585'.
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1923) by Perceval, Spencer George
18th Century
Production date:
circa
AD 1715
: Another set: BM 1841,0508.4-55 is dated 1710-1725.
Sheet Height 91 mm Width 60 mm
Inscription present: speech bubbles of Madame de Maintenon and Michel Chamillart
Accession number: P.13064-R(4)
Primary reference Number: 186262
Stephens/George: 1560
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Four of Spades" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/186262 Accessed: 2024-12-23 17:05:24
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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/186262
|title=Four of Spades
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-23 17:05:24|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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