[PLAYING CARDS]. - Lot 31

[PLAYING CARDS]. [Set of 34 minchiate cards]. [Italy, late 16th/early 17th century]. - 34 cards, 101 x 58, in a modern green morocco slipcase, lined with gray velvet, designed by Marc Ollivier. Extremely rare set of 34 slides of four or five sets of minchiate, discovered in a bathtub while soaking the boards of a late 16th or early 17th century Italian binding (as part of a restoration). Minchiate is a card game that first appeared in Florence, Italy, in the early 16th century. Derived from tarot, but more complex, it consists of 97 cards including signs, trumps and a bishop. Of the 34 cards in this set, 21 are signs, 13 are trumps and one is a bishop, all woodcuts. Thirty-three come from 3 or 4 different decks; 26 of them feature a symmetrical composition of stylized foliage with a dotted frame on the reverse, and 7 also have a dotted frame, but with the Medici coat of arms in the center, surmounted by the word "Poverone". A final card, depicting the Devil's House, is more archaic and appears to be older; it also features the Medici coat of arms on the reverse, but surmounted by the name "Firenze", designating the city of Florence. As these blades were washed and used for binding, the original colors have faded. They also show dirt, stains and some wear. One of them has been cut at the head, and the one marked "Firenze" has a tear affecting the engraving.