French Playing Cards - 16th Century

This is a reproduction of a deck dated to 1567 that is based on a set of face cards by Pierre Marechal of Rouen, France. The cards of Rouen are significant because many were produced for export to Britain. English merchants are even said to have bought them for re-export to other countries. In 1628 England banned the importation of cards, and English printers have been shown to have used Rouen face cards as inspiration for their own cruder, more stylized decks which have become the standard motifs still used in many modern decks. This a full 52-card deck without jokers (Jokers were not added until the 19th century.) The backs are blank as was most common on early cards.