Italian renaissance woodcut playing cards

Block F2

As for its companion F1, two groups of fragments from this woodblock are known, one in Museo Fournier de Naipes and one sold at a Sotheby’s auction in 1994. Here too, some of the cuts made to the sheets line up perfectly across the two groups. These also correspond to those seen among the F1 fragments, further tying these two blocks together. The Fournier fragments are uncoloured, and as far as can be seen from the black and white images available, so are the Sotheby’s ones. Both sets contain three nonoverlapping fragments (with one pair joining up), which is consistent with each group forming parts of a single imprint. Very little is preserved in the Sotheby’s fragments that is not also covered by the Fournier fragments.

Fournier, 1 fragment

Fournier, 2 fragments

Sotheby’s 1994 auction, 3 fragments

g

h₁

h₂

Combined images

Each group of fragments aligned to their original positions, plus a combined view.

Fournier

Sotheby’s 1994 auction

Fournier + Sotheby’s

Tor Gjerde <i@old.no>