Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-11-27
More Light on the
Origin of Playing Cards

colors and Ornamented with several
devices, 10 carry before the lord, our
king, for his amusement. SO soils OF
Paris"
This is the foundation upon which is
based the popular notion that playing
cards were invented for the amuse-
ment Of a crazy French king. Critics
have pointed out that the amount paid
Is simply for the hand painting and
DECORATION OF the cards There is moth
ing In the entry that gives ground for
supposing that the cards themselves
were new.
There are ON exhibition today at the
national library In Paris what are sup
posed TO be II OF these very cards that
we're painted for Charles VI and this
has strengthened the impression that
they are the original model from which
all playing cards have been copied.
Unfortunately for the fame of this
exhibit u has been proved that the
cards shown I'm Paris are really very
fine Venetian tarok cards, and are part
of an edition made at least as late as
1925
During the 20 years that follow this
date of the royal treasurer's. 1892. lit
erature is full of references 10 playing
cards Almost every author that men
lions games or gambling paraphcrnalia
particularizes one or more games Of
cards But before that date no allu-
sion has been found 60 "a game that
could be constructed as "a card game.
although there are several writer's who
might reasonably be expected 10 men
ton cards II they were acquainted
with them.
Hugo Won Tymberg who wrote In
the second half Of the thirteenth and
the beginning Of the fourteenth CEN
tuN, Petrarch. who wrote In the nrst
half Of the fourteenth century; Chau-
GER who wrote IN the second half of
inc fourteenth century. make no men
ton of cards. although in the writings
of all OF them there are references 10
gambling games ana implements
In the Eacurial library there b. "a
manuscript composed hy order Of Don
Alphonso the Wise. dated 1921. which
gives the rules for number OF games.
especially chess and dice. but does not
contain "a word about cards
But, one naturally asks. IN the earli-
cst mention ofacards is to be- found Ia
me register of royal treasurer Of
France. where did cards come from II
they were rot "a new thing 10 him?
To go back "A little IL is well known
mat there existed long before the date
OF any mention OF playing cards
series ~ emblematlc pictures called
naihis, which were used by gypsios
and others for the purpose of fortune
telling and sorcery u is probably
those naibis that were brought 90
Europe by the Saraoens and perhaps
they were supposed 10 be- of saracenic
origin.
Authorities seen 10 be- pretty well
agreed that toward the end OF the
fourteenth century some inventive gen
lnH, probably Venetian, selected
number OF the most attractive OF these
lnilbis or pictures, and added 90 them
series Of mineral cards. 80 as O.
convert them into implements by which
the excitement of chance aud the in
ierest of gaming might be- added o.
tho amusement Afforded by the original
nalblH
The principal reason for assuming
that cards originated IN Italy and no.
in France o. that the names OF tho
cards themselves and fha names ~ the
earliest known games played with them
are am Italian. ANA that these Italian
terms were carried IAN over Europe II
they were OF French origin the nnmen-
ciaiure might be- expected % be French
There o. abundant evidence that ths
cards which eventually found their
Nay all over Europe were made la