Catalogue of the collection of playing cards bequeathed to the Trustees of the British museum by the late Lady Charlotte Schreiber.

FRENCH CARDS.

43

with the four-suit numeral pack, the game of Tarot was also brought from
Italy into France, and took root in the southern and some of the eastern
provinces, but never in the north or centre.
Tarot packs have been extensively manufactured in France, chiefly
in places near the eastern frontier, for the use of the peasantry of that
district and for exportation. A "jeu de Tarots" consists of 78 cards
with Italian suitmarks and in every other respect resembles the Italian
tarocchi packs, the same conventional designs being used throughout, but
the inscriptions are in French.
Piquet, the national game of France, is believed to have been invented
about the time of Henri IV, and until the beginning of the eighteenth
century was played with a pack of 36 cards, the 2-5 of each suit being
suppressed; since then the 6 has also been dispensed with, and a complete
piquet pack now consists of 32 cards only.
At an early period the French card-makers introduced the practice of
giving the names of historical and legendary personages to the court cards,
and in the seventeenth century a definite set of names became stereotyped and has continued in use, more or less, until the present time:
these are David, Alexander, Caesar and Charlemagne for the kings;
Rachel, Argine, Pallas and Judith for the queens; and Hector, Lancelot,
Lahire and Hogier for the knaves.
At the time of the Revolution and the first Empire, packs were
published, artistically designed by David, Gatteaux and others, which
harmonised with the new ideas; but these enjoyed only a fleeting popularity, and the old type soon reappeared.
I.-" JEUX DE TAROTS."
1. Belfort. J. P. Laurent, 18th century. Imperfect pack of 45. On
the ace of cups is "P. Voisin," and on the 2 " Jean Pierre Lavrent
a Belfort." The missing cards are the 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, knave and
king of cups; the 2, knight and queen of swords; the 2, 3, 9,
knave and queen of coins; the ace, 5, 10 and queen of clubs; and
Nos. I, II, IV, VI, VII, IX and XII-XIX of the atouts. Backs
decorated with a pattern of hexagons enclosing suns.
44 x 21 in. [S. Vol. II, pl. 11.]
2. Besangon. J.Jerger; 18th century. Imperfect pack of 77. The
2 of cups is inscribed "Tarots Fins faites par J. Jerger Fabriquant Carts a Besancon," and on every court card and atout is
" France J. Jerger." On Nos. III and IV of the atouts is a shield
charged with an eagle, and on No. VII are the initials J. I. A. B.
on a small shield. The missing card is the 7 of coins. Backs
mottled green.

41 x 24 in.

[S. Vol. II, pl. 11.]