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

74

7CATALOGUE OF CARDS.

191. "Gil Bias"; c. 1800. Set of 25 engraved cards illustrating Le
Sage's " Gil Bias." Each card has one subject with explanation
below. Coloured. Backs decorated with a pattern of stars and
crosses, in blue. In pasteboard case.
41 x 2- in.
192. "Le Jeu des Calembourgs "; c. 1820. Thirty-one of a pack of 32
cards, each bearing a subject which is a conundrum or play upon
words, the explanations being given on three additional cards.
No. 30 (" Le Siege de Troie ") is missing, but a repetition of it
is given on the pasteboard case, with the title and the address of
the publisher, "Alph. Giroux, Rue du Coq St. Honore No. 17, ia
Paris."
34 x 24 in.
193. Set of 10 small cards, six of which are numbered 1-6 with spots,
as in dominoes; the remaining four have figures of ladies and
gentlemen in fancy costumes. In cardboard cover.
14 x 11 in.
GERMAN.
Shortly after the introduction of cards from Italy, Germany adopted as
the national suitmarks Hearts (Herzen), Bells (Schellen), Leaves (Laub),
and Acorns (Eicheln), and although in recent times these have been very
generally superseded by the French suits, hearts, spades, diamonds and
clubs, they are still used to some extent.
The oldest German games, Landsknecht (Lansquenet), and Karniffel,
were played with packs of 52, similar to those now used for Whist,
Pharaoh, Boston, etc.; but this number was at an early period reduced
to 36, and later to 32, to form the Piketspiel, which resembles in its
composition the French piquet pack. Solo, Casco, Skat, and other popular
games, are played with packs of this kind.
In true German packs a second knave is substituted for the queen, the
two knaves being called Obermann and Untermann (abbreviated into Ober
and Unter), and the 2 (Daus) takes the place of the ace. The pip cards
are usually decorated with vignettes of domestic groups, animals, etc.
Tarot packs have been and are still largely used in the southern
parts of Germany. Previous to the present century these had Italian
suitmarks and atouts of the traditional Italian type, but in modern packs
the French suitmarks are substituted, and the atouts have fanciful and
meaningless designs, frequently subjects of natural history.