OnePotato
Debra sent me a link to some photos of what appear to be a couple of 18th or 19th century hand drawn cards.
The one on the right, with the sword, appears to be a copy of the Valet d'epee from the Gringonneur/Estensi deck in the Bibliotheque Nationale.
17 cards survive from the Gringonneur/Estensi deck.
16 majors, and le Valet d'epee from the minors.
Current thinking dates them to the mid-15th century, Venice. Probably.
But none of them look like the other of our hand drawn later copies.
So, the big question here...
Is this an old copy of a now lost Gringonneur/Estensi card?
According to Kaplan, the Gringonneur/Estensi deck was bequeathed to the King in 1711, along with other prints and drawings from the M. de Gaignieres collection, an assistant tutor to the grandchildren of Louis XIV.
I'd like to know if we can verify that the deck consisted of 17 cards at that time, which would indicate that these drawings would have had to have been made prior to 1711, when the deck could have been bigger.
It's hard to date the drawings, or authenticate them without actually handling them in person.
Of course, the drawings could be a total fake.
Or, if the drawings are old, the "unknown" one could be an old fantasy reconstruction, based upon the other.
Or, is there some other known source that the other card was copied from?
In any case, it's an interesting find.
The one on the right, with the sword, appears to be a copy of the Valet d'epee from the Gringonneur/Estensi deck in the Bibliotheque Nationale.
17 cards survive from the Gringonneur/Estensi deck.
16 majors, and le Valet d'epee from the minors.
Current thinking dates them to the mid-15th century, Venice. Probably.
But none of them look like the other of our hand drawn later copies.
So, the big question here...
Is this an old copy of a now lost Gringonneur/Estensi card?
According to Kaplan, the Gringonneur/Estensi deck was bequeathed to the King in 1711, along with other prints and drawings from the M. de Gaignieres collection, an assistant tutor to the grandchildren of Louis XIV.
I'd like to know if we can verify that the deck consisted of 17 cards at that time, which would indicate that these drawings would have had to have been made prior to 1711, when the deck could have been bigger.
It's hard to date the drawings, or authenticate them without actually handling them in person.
Of course, the drawings could be a total fake.
Or, if the drawings are old, the "unknown" one could be an old fantasy reconstruction, based upon the other.
Or, is there some other known source that the other card was copied from?
In any case, it's an interesting find.