Italian Spanish-style playing cards by Ferdinando Gumppenberg, Milan, c. 1830
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1830
This set of Italian playing cards features a Spanish-style suit system, manufactured in Milan by Ferdinando Gumppenberg around 1830. The deck is composed of 39 of 40 original cards, with one 7 of clubs substituted from a similar deck by the same maker.
These are stencil-colored woodcut playing cards characterized by single-figure court designs and a lack of pintas or corner indices. Each card measures 94 x 51 mm and features square corners with turn-over edges. Key markings include a maker's ink stamp on the king of clubs, a Lombardia tax stamp (1823-1840), and specific iconography such as an eagle surmounting the arms of Castile and León on the ace of coins. The versos of the majority of the cards exhibit a decorative woodcut pattern in blue, green, and yellow labeled 'Milano', while the verso of the added 7 of clubs displays a distinct red pattern marked 'Fab.
Regia', denoting the earlier Regia Fabbrica di Milano workshop managed by Gumppenberg.
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
- Quantity
- 39 cards
- Materials
- stencil-colored woodcut paper
- Dimensions
- 94 x 51 mm
Technical characteristics
- Features
- single-figure courts, no indices, turn-over edges, square corners
- Suit type
- Spanish suits
Design
- Obverse details
- king of clubs with maker's stamp, cavalier of swords with blank scroll, ace of coins with eagle and arms of Castile and León
- Reverse details
- decorative woodcut patterns, 'Milano' or 'Fab. Regia' text
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
- Ferdinando Gumppenberg
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.