c.1890 Livre du Destin

c.1890 Livre de Destin, B.P. Grimaud 33/33 cards

Published by B.P. Grimaud, Paris, France, c.1890

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Deck: Livre du Destin (32 cards + 1 blank card)

Description:  The game is composed of 32 cards plus a blank card that serves as the consultant(e). 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:

· Borders:  double black line

· Reverses:  plaid pattern

· Paper:  thick pasteboard

· Titles:  French and English

· Style:  Sybilla Cards

· Tax Stamp: On card #16. "This stamp was in use in France from 1890 to 1917, and from 1922 to 1940." 
The text reads, "RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE' and 'DÉCRET DU 12 AVRIL 1890" (Endebrock 2011).