Fragmentary Playing Card

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Fragmentary Playing Card

Egypt, 13th-14th century
Paintings
Ink and colors on paper
4 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. (10.79 x 8.25 cm); Mount: 22 x 16 in. (55.88 x 40.64 cm)
The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost (M.2002.1.654)
Art of the Middle East: Islamic and Contemporary
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

These three fragmentary paintings (also see M.2002.1.650 and M.2002.1.651) belong to a rare group of extant playing cards produced in Mamluk Egypt (1250-1517), representing the earliest such objects t...
These three fragmentary paintings (also see M.2002.1.650 and M.2002.1.651) belong to a rare group of extant playing cards produced in Mamluk Egypt (1250-1517), representing the earliest such objects to survive from the Islamic world. Mamluk decks are remarkably similar to those used today, with fifty-two cards divided into four suits (cups, coins, swords, and polo sticks), each containing ten number cards and three "court" cards known as the king, governor, and deputy governor. Unlike their modern Western counterparts—the king, queen, and jack—Mamluk court cards do not feature figural imagery but are identified through a combination of symbols and label-like inscriptions.
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Bibliography

  • Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.