Historical playing cards

A family tree of European playing cards and their ancestors

Cisalpine styles

Early Portuguese style cards, c. 1400
Early Italian(?) style cards, 15th century
Italian renaissance woodcut playing cards (tarot and non-tarot), c. 1500

Transalpine styles

Stuttgart playing cards (Stuttgarter Kartenspiel), c. 1430
Ambras Court hunting deck (Ambraser Hofjagdspiel), c. 1440
Ambras Court playing cards (Ambraser Hofämterspiel), c. 1455
Flemish hunting deck (Flämisches Jagdkartenspiel), c. 1475
Cards with crown suit, late 15th century?
Master PW, Cologne, c. 1500
Hans Sebald Beham, Nuremberg, c. 1523
Erhard Schön, Nuremberg, c. 1528
Hans Leonhard Schäufelein, Nördlingen, c. 1535
Peter Flötner (Das Flötner'sche Kartenspiel), Nuremberg, c. 1540
Virgil Solis, Nuremberg, c. 1544
Heinrich Hauk, Frankfurt, 1585
Jost Amman's Charta Lusoria, Nuremberg, 1588
Johann Bussemacher, Cologne, 1591
Paulus and Jerg Zaunberger, Ulm, 1594

Major subtypes

Trionfi, tarocchi, tarot or tarock, 15th century to the present
▹ The Budapest tarot (and related non-tarot decks), c. 1500
▹ Catelin Geofroy, 1557
Cu cù, Vogelspiel, Kille, Gnav and Slabberjan, 17th century to the present
▹ Cu cù, 17th c.
▹ Kille, 18th c.
▹ Gnav, 19th c.

Outside Europe

Mamluk cards, c. 1500
Mamluk card fragment, c. 1300?
Japanese cards, from c. 1550 onwards