IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 186303 accession number: P.13064-R(48) DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Wednesday 7 March 2012 updated: Monday 2 October 2023 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: In the aftermath of the Battle of Ramillies, one of the greatest allied victories of the War of Spanish Succession, the Dutch general, Henry of Nassau, Lord of Overkirk (1640-1708) took the port of Ostend on 4 July, 1706, thus opening a direct route to the English Channel for communication and supply. The card depicts the canon-fire rained upon the town by the allies in the foreground with ships on the water seen in the distance on the left. 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 and Spanish 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'. title: playing card LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/186303 SUBJECTS ------------------- War of Spanish Succession TECHNIQUES ---------- engraving TECHNIQUES ---------- etching CATEGORIES ------ category: print DATING ------ creation date: 1715 - 1715 creation date earliest: 1715 creation date latest: 1715 culture: 18th Century CREATORS -------- maker: Unknown