I'd be very surprised to learn that there's not some historical connection between the development of esoteric decks and the packs the french use for the game of Tarot (which is still popular in France, from what I gather). But there are marked differences between corresponding cards.
I have a gaming pack here (if only there were people to teach me the game, alas…). The fool (called the Excuse) is indeed playing a lute.
The thing that immediately sticks out and interests me is that each of the trumps (discluding the Excuse) has two different images, upright and reversed. They seem each to treat dialectical interpretations of the same theme. (I wonder if this relates to reversed meanings in reading?) Usually it's a leisure vs. upper class dichotomy, or that of gender. With only superficial examination of the deck, however, I don't see much correspondence between the themes here and the archetype-images of the major arcana.
For example, #15 depicts two class-opposed instances of representation/art. One picture has a man and a girl, neither seem fancifully dressed, and he is painting with an easel and palette. The other image shows three figures: a well-dressed woman posing, a photographer under his camera's veil, and a boy who seems to be his assistant, holding a mirror i think. I could be wrong about the class distinctions. Does anyone see anything "Devilish" about this?
#1 shows two theatrical images, one tragic and one comedic, I'd guess, though maybe not. Both depict a proscenium w/curtains. One with two men (one perhaps a classic fool?) and another peeking in from offstage. The other has a jesterly dressed man, puppet tucked into his belt, presenting a rose to a curtsying woman. Maybe there's some connection here to the performative aspects of the Magician (aka Mountebank)…
I don't know nearly enough about this to conjecture any further, but if anyone knows more, I'd love to hear or be led to more knowledge-bits!