Austrian/Bohemian Animal Tarot Playing Cards, Late 18th / Early 19th Century
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
Late 18th / Early 19th century
This composed set of Austrian/Bohemian animal tarot playing cards dates to the late 18th or early 19th century. The collection consists of 56 stencil-coloured woodcut cards featuring French suits and 21 double-ended trump cards.
Each suit contains 13 cards, including four court cards: the valet (knave), cavalier (knight), dame (queen), and roi (king), complemented by a fool card. The trump cards are marked with Roman numerals I through XXI and feature imagery of animals and people. Each card measures 105mm by 58mm and is finished with purple paste marbled versos. The deck is stored within a black and gilt japanned box measuring 14.5cm in length.
Several cards bear specific markings and initial cartouches, including 'John Eberhard' on the knave of hearts, 'Karten Fabrikant in Nuremberg' on the knave of spades, and various 'IE', 'inN', and 'JE' initials across the court cards, indicating their manufacturing origins.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- woodcut cards, japanned box
- Dimensions
- cards 105mm x 58mm, box 14.5cm long
- Deck composition
- 56 playing cards, 21 trump cards
Technical characteristics
- Suits
- French suits
- Printing
- stencil coloured woodcut
Design
- Box
- black and gilt japanned
- Verso
- purple paste marbled
- Court cards
- valet, cavalier, dame, roi
- Trump cards
- double-ended with Roman numerals I-XXI
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- John Eberhard
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.