Current Location: In storage
Titles
Pallas
Queen of Spades
Maker(s)
Printmaker:
Gatteaux, Nicolas Marie
Entities
Categories
Description
From a complete pack of 52 playing-cards; hand-coloured woodcut on white laid paper with watermarked fleur-de-lis. A single image, hand-coloured in black, red, yellow, dark blue and lighter blue inks. The Queen, a full-length figure, stands in profile facing left and holds a red flower with three petals in her right hand, which is probably a lily representing the fleur-de-lis, national flower of France. A scene within her costume depicts the head of an animal, possibly another emblem relating to France and which is comparable to the head of the cockerel or Gallic rooster ('le coq gaulois') seen on the King of Diamonds. A printed title or name at upper right: 'PALLAS'. This name for the Queen of Spades (presumably a reference to Pallas Athene of Greek mythology) is unique to French playing cards where the court cards are associated with historical or mythical characters. The single image pattern of the court cards was designed by engraver and sculptor, Nicolas-Marie Gatteaux (1751-1832) in 1813, whose name can be found at the centre of the shield on the Jack of Clubs. His designs were based on earlier versions of the so-called Paris pattern, which became the official French pattern in 1813. The verso is blank. The pack can be dated through reference to the Jack of Clubs, which is printed with the name for French excise administration (Administration des Contributions Indirectes) and a date of 1816. From the 19th century until 1945, the appearance of playing cards for domestic consumption was regulated by the French government and all cards were produced on watermarked paper made by the state to show payment of the stamp tax.
Legal notes
Bequeathed by Spencer George Perceval, 1923
