[PLAYING CARDS]. - Lot 46

[PLAYING CARDS]. [52-CARD DECK]. Les Modes. Paris : Cartes parisiennes, [circa 1850]. - 52 cards, 87 x 56, pale pink glossy paper spine. Box-case illustrated on top with a green engraving bearing the "Cartes parisiennes" sign, gilt edges. Classic 52-card deck with the four suits of spades, diamonds, hearts and clubs, but the figures depicting the jack, queen and king are engravings of handsome gentlemen and ladies in period costume. The king is distinguished by his age and beard. Four different themes can be distinguished for these engravings. Under the clover color, the figures are participating in a hunt. Under the color of diamonds, the figures depicted appear to be on vacation, visiting some monument in a major European city. Under the heart color, the protagonists are visibly at home, in a large mansion surrounded by parkland. And finally, in the spade color, the characters are at the seaside, the patriarch perhaps being a shipowner. One of the deluxe copies. These cards were printed in three versions: ordinary, deluxe and fancy. This set, printed in gold for the colors clubs and spades, and red with gold highlights for diamonds and hearts, is one of the deluxe copies. The small card giving these indications has been preserved. A very fresh copy, preserved in its contemporary slipcase. One edge of the case partly unravelled.