The World in Play: Luxury Cards 1430-1540

by Timothy B. Husband

0 ratings • 0 reviews • 0 shelved
Book cover for The World in Play

Bookhype may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.

With their images of princely hunts, opulent costumes, and a cast of characters ranging from royals to commoners, each of the playing cards in this engaging volume is a unique work of art that reflects a period of tumultuous social, artistic, economic, and religious change. The only study of its kind in English, this book features the most important luxury decks of hand-painted European playing cards to have survived from the late Middle Ages, plus a selection of exceptional hand-colored woodblock cards, engraved cards, and tarot packs. Each of these cards has a fascinating story to tell; collectively, they conjure up the courtly culture and customs of the day, and chart the transition from late medieval to early modern Europe.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press


Exhibition Schedule:

The Cloisters (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(01/20/16–04/17/16)

  • ISBN10 1588396088
  • ISBN13 9781588396082
  • Publish Date 23 February 2016
  • Publish Status Out of Print
  • Out of Print 4 March 2021
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Format Paperback (US Trade)
  • Pages 136
  • Language English