Playing card, Durand, F., France, early 16th century
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
early 16th century
Playing card, Durand, F., France, early 16th century is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated early 16th century. The museum's brief description reads: Woodcut, hand-coloured. F. Durand. Uncut sheet of playing cards, F. Durand, France, early 16th century.. Museum description: Uncut sheet of playing cards, containing eight subjects, four Kings and four Queens bearing titles of legendary and historical personages; Woodcut print, coloured by hand, on laid paper; Signed on 'la grants baslive' F. The museum record gives material recorded as printing ink, laid paper; measurements Height 18.9 cm; Width 27.6 cm; place associated: France; maker recorded: Durand, F.. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
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.
Historical context
The earliest woodcuts in Europe (13th century) were printed patterns on textile, followed in about 1400 by prints on paper, such as single sheet devotional prints, and playing cards like these. The oldest surviving examples of playing cards date to about 1420. This sheet is thought to have been made by an artist called F. Durand in Rouen or Lyons in the first half of the 16th century. It has not yet been cut, showing the way in which cards were made for economy, printed many to a sheet and cut at a later stage. Printed playing cards were sometimes coloured by hand but stencils might be used to speed the process up. The neat, shaped blocks of colour seen here sometimes do not match with the area meant to take the colour, indicating that the colour was applied through a stencil rather than painted on freehand. This colouring is of a high quality, suggesting that this pack was intended for a well-off client. The names on these cards include legendary and historical figures, including Bethsabée and Pallas among the queens and some of the Nine Worthies among the kings. The Nine Worthies were trios of pagan, Jewish and Christian heroes introduced by Jacques de Longuyon in his romance Voeux de Paon of 1312. They were seen as exemplars of chivalry and knightly prowess and aristocratic rulers sometimes associated themselves symbolically with one or other of them. The Worthies included here among the kings are David, shown with his harp, and Charlemagne, with his globe symbolising his…
Physical characteristics
- Material
- printing ink, laid paper
- Dimensions
- Height 18.9 cm; Width 27.6 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- woodcut print, coloured by hand, on laid paper
- Maker recorded
- Durand, F.
- Place recorded
- France
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- Signed on 'la grants baslive' F.
Identification
- Museum attribution
- Durand, F.
- Museum object name
- Playing card
- Museum object number
- E.1255-1916
- Museum system number
- O211484
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.