Livre du Destin
incomplete 31/32 cards (with bottom half of original box)
Published by unknown publisher, Paris, France
Deck: c.1850-75 Livre de Destin by an unidentified publisher between Violet and Gaudais (or one of those two).
Description:
Le Livre du Destin is a French, 32-card fortune-telling deck. William Hughes Willshire (1876) describes an early c.1810-60 version of the game printed by Carpentier Mericourt and held at the British Museum (1866,1110.647-679) as:A pique set of cards of the suits piques, coeurs, carreaux, and trefles (spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs). It is intended for the purposes of fortune-telling as well as for ordinary play, but belongs to the amusing variety of fortune-telling cards, and not to the serious divinatory class.
Each card-piece has a representation of a small numeral card at its upper left-hand corner. Occupying the greater portion of the piece is an emblematic design, including full-length figures and landscapes; below is the title. The ace of piques has on it a Cupid on clouds, about to let off an arrow on some one below. Above him are two billing doves, below is the title, L'Amour. The ten of carreaux exhibits a large parterre of flowers, from which a serpent protrudes his neck. Over these are some birds hovering, and at a little distance other birds arc being caught in a net. At the lower margin are the words: "Piege ou Trahison."
Deck Identifiers:
· Style: Livre du Destin
· Versos/backs: plain white
· Paper: thick cardstock
· Printing method: chromolithography
· Titles: French
· Inset: playing cards
· Borders: single black line
· Tax Stamp: no tax-stamp
CONDITION: good condition, incomplete 31/32 cards, with original box lacking top lid; signs of wear, scuffing and soiling from use, age darkening, occasional minor stains, some signs of patina, and edge and corner wear; lower portion of telescopic box with wear; chips and soiling of label, edge & corner wear, and repair of bottom seam. (see photographs)
