Jack of Spades: P.14638-R(3)

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Jack of Spades

Maker(s)

Printmaker: Unknown
Publisher: Unknown

Entities

Playing card

Description

A hand-coloured woodcut on pasteboard laid down on a large piece of mount board (height 407mm x 277mm) with six other cards from the same pack. A partial playing card which has been cut down along the upper edge. A male figure (head cut off by the loss along the upper edge), facing right and wearing a short tunic with ruff-like collar around his neck and a long sack or bag sleeve on his right arm which holds a pike or halberd. The imposts below an archway (cut off here but seen in P.14638-R(4), the Jack of Diamonds) are visible at upper left and right. Although only the lower half of the suit marker is visible at upper right, the shape most closely matches Spades ('Piques'). A printed inscription along the right edge in Old French: 'Sanson', which probably relates to the biblical name, Sampson or Samson, the character from the Old Testament. The name 'Sanson' or Samson follows the trait unique to French playing cards of associating the face cards with historical or mythical personages, but does not relate to the name usually associated with the Jack of Spades (Hogier). Prior to 1613, the Jack of Clubs was associated with the name Judas Maccabeus, and so it is possible that the Jack of Spades may also have been associated originally with a name other than Hogier. The style of the designs, especially in the facial features and hair, is very similar to those made by Jehan Faucil in Rouen in France during the 16th century. Faucil was active there c.1540-c.1560. See uncut and uncoloured sheets in the British Museum collection: 1851,0208.13-18. A handwritten inscription in graphite at lower right on the recto of the mount board: 'From the Brent Eleigh Library: found / shut up between the leaves of a book. / 1891'. Another inscription in graphite in a different hand (probably Eric Chamberlain, Assistant Keeper of Prints, 1962-1975) on the verso of the mount board: 'French / ?early 16th century'.