The Cloisters playing cards constitute the only known complete fifteenth-century illuminated set. Fifty-two cards in all, the set comprises four suits, each with a king, queen, knave, and number cards from one through ten. The suit designations, unfamiliar from any other earlier playing cards, all pertain to equipment of the hunt: dog collars, tethers, gaming nooses, and hunting horns. The suits are only partially distinguished by color: the collars and horns are both red, while the tethers and nooses are blue. Values of the number cards are indicated not by numerals but by the appropriate repetition of the suit sign. The suit of the court cards is likewise indicated by the appropriate symbol, which each figure carries, wears, or has emblazoned on the costume. Constructed from four layers of paper that have been glued together, the cards are quite stiff. The designs were first outlined, then colored with a variety of pigments; silver and gold were applied as well. The elaborate costumes of the figures are characteristic of the high fashion for which the Burgundian court was renowned. This, together with the drawing style of the cards, suggests they were produced in the Southern Netherlands around 1475.

That so few early playing cards have survived make The Cloisters cards something of a phenomenon. That such an early set should remain not only complete but in nearly perfect condition as well indicates that the cards were never used for their intended purpose. This fortunate historical accident allows us a charming glimpse into the everyday life and ordinary diversions of the Burgundian Netherlands.

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