jmd
There's still quite a few threads to complete for this study, so here is a start to our ongoing work:
<-- Dodal | Conver -->
As far as I recall, this is the first thread on a card from the suit of Cups.
It is also, of course, an important card in that it remains one of only three consistent cards being used for identification purposes, the other two being the Two Coins and the initials often carved on the front of the Chariot.
So let's first look at the above cards.
There are some obvious and clear major similarities apart from there being two cups. The first is perhaps that major 'panel' at the bottom on which many producers included their name - as is the case for the Jean Dodal. What is here unexpected for the Conver is that we find not the name or initials of Nicholas Conver, but what appears as royal (or ducal?) coat-of-arms with the letters G M at the bottom, perhaps suggesting the patronage enjoyed by Conver (and on this I of course stand to be corrected - and SHOULD really check my resources before posting in case these letters have already been indentified!).
The top sections of the cards, though in both cases giving the appearance of Dauphine-like (dolphin) imagery adjacent a central fountain, have the central section distinct. Here, the Dodal adds its own letters: PLN above the three FPE (this latter very likely, as also mentioned by others, referring to 'Fais Pour l'Etranger' - Made for the Foreign Market, ie, For Export). The PLN, however, has me stumped, and if the GM of the Conver does in some manner refer to patronage, then this may also be the case for the PLN, and in this case without a coat-of-arms.
The Cups each appear to have hexagonal bases, and in the case of the Dodal, appears to be clearly filled by showing content with cross-lines. The Conver, by contrast, simply has the red internal colour, without any indication as to whether it remains empty or full.
The number of 'petals' in both the central and the top sections is quite distinct in each case, with the Conver having a finer carver's touch. Despite this, it seems to my eyes that the Dodal depicts the central section as what appears to be nearly a whole (third) cup there hidden as 'fountain' top: even the 'lips' of the top are similar.
Of personal interest is that inclusion of the quartered diamond in the bottom panel on the Dodal... but perhaps more on that later, or simply cross-refer to an earlier Newsletter on the Dodal - and look forward to comments and further comparisons!
As far as I recall, this is the first thread on a card from the suit of Cups.
It is also, of course, an important card in that it remains one of only three consistent cards being used for identification purposes, the other two being the Two Coins and the initials often carved on the front of the Chariot.
So let's first look at the above cards.
There are some obvious and clear major similarities apart from there being two cups. The first is perhaps that major 'panel' at the bottom on which many producers included their name - as is the case for the Jean Dodal. What is here unexpected for the Conver is that we find not the name or initials of Nicholas Conver, but what appears as royal (or ducal?) coat-of-arms with the letters G M at the bottom, perhaps suggesting the patronage enjoyed by Conver (and on this I of course stand to be corrected - and SHOULD really check my resources before posting in case these letters have already been indentified!).
The top sections of the cards, though in both cases giving the appearance of Dauphine-like (dolphin) imagery adjacent a central fountain, have the central section distinct. Here, the Dodal adds its own letters: PLN above the three FPE (this latter very likely, as also mentioned by others, referring to 'Fais Pour l'Etranger' - Made for the Foreign Market, ie, For Export). The PLN, however, has me stumped, and if the GM of the Conver does in some manner refer to patronage, then this may also be the case for the PLN, and in this case without a coat-of-arms.
The Cups each appear to have hexagonal bases, and in the case of the Dodal, appears to be clearly filled by showing content with cross-lines. The Conver, by contrast, simply has the red internal colour, without any indication as to whether it remains empty or full.
The number of 'petals' in both the central and the top sections is quite distinct in each case, with the Conver having a finer carver's touch. Despite this, it seems to my eyes that the Dodal depicts the central section as what appears to be nearly a whole (third) cup there hidden as 'fountain' top: even the 'lips' of the top are similar.
Of personal interest is that inclusion of the quartered diamond in the bottom panel on the Dodal... but perhaps more on that later, or simply cross-refer to an earlier Newsletter on the Dodal - and look forward to comments and further comparisons!
