2 of Cups ("cow")	A unique deck of ancient origin is still used in some regions on the north-west coast of France, for the game of Aluette. During the past centuries, several Spanish ships reached the country for the trading of general goods; it is likely that sailors, while ashore, killed time by playing with their packs of cards. Particularly in Vendée and Britanny, this gave birth to a peculiar local pattern, more similar to the Baraja Española than to the French national pattern.	B = Britanny; V = Vendée

It is difficult to tell the age of Aluette; it is mentioned by a number of sources, including F.Rabelais' Gargantua (1534), but it might have been played with Spanish cards even earlier than this. Scholars seem to agree that a specific design was surely being used in the 17th century, and that its early form was less glamorous than the present one, into which it developed sometime around the late 1700s or early 1800s. 5 of Coins from a Spanish deck (early 1500s)

Aluette decorations suggest a Spanish origin

samples of Aluette courts	As for the game's name, it has been suggested that Aluette, sometimes referred to as La Luette ("the uvula"), might have an actual meaning of "without words". In fact during the game, played by two opposing couples, partners are not allowed to give each other information else than by using conventional signs.

Aluette is played with a 48-card deck which features Spanish suits (Coins, Cups, Swords and Batons), each of which running from 1 (ace) to 9, with a knave, a cavalier and a king. Curiously, the cavaliers have a quite effeminate look; they wear shirts with a rather low-cut necklines, hemmed with frilly trimmings, as to suggest a female bust.

CARD 3 of Coins monsieur gentleman 3 of Cups madame lady 2 of Coins borgne one-eyed 2 of Cups vache cow 9 of Coins grand-neuf great nine 9 of Cups petit-neuf small nine 2 of Batons deux de chêne two of oaks 2 of Swords deux d'ecrit two of writing ace of Coins aigle eagle		In Aluette all cards of the deck have a specific ranking, and the most valuable ones are given particular names, as shown in the table. Almost every card is decorated with curious and rather colourful details, some of which have a relation with the nicknames, as in the case of the 2 of Cups showing a cow. ace of Coins ("eagle") The same can be said for the ace of Coins, which shows an eagle. It is interesting how this detail, found in most Italian patterns of Spanish origin (Piacentine, Napoletane and Siciliane), but not in Spain's own patterns.

Also some of the conventional signs used in play are related to the card's nickname, as the attitude of winking to inform the partner about the 2 of Coins ("one-eyed"), or pretending to write to indicate the 2 of Swords ("two of writing"); the latter card used to be the one which in old packs carried the manufacturer's name, explaining its curious name.	some of the Aluette cards featuring small arrows, among which is the "two of oaks" (2 of Batons)

Estilo Paris (Uruguay): 2 and 3 of Batons		Several subjects of the Aluette deck, especially those belonging to the suit of Batons, feature tiny arrows variously arranged along the pips, some of which are shown in the picture above. The same detail is also found in the unique Spanish-suited pattern used in Uruguay, locally called Estilo Paris ("Paris Style", see the Spanish gallery, page 3), in which several among the Batons cards have small arrows along the shafts of the cudgels (see picture on the left).

The missing link between Aluette and these south American cards is the obsolete Parisian Spanish pattern, a variety created in France (particularly in Paris) in the early 1800s as an export product for Latin America, whereas the small arrows never belong to any of Spain's own patterns. Furthermore, the personage featured in the Aluette's ace of Batons is undoubtly an Indio, or South American native, another element consistent with the curious geographic relation between French and Uruguayan cards.		Aluette's ace of Batons	Other webpages providing the rules for the game of Aluette are: Modar Neznanich's Medieval Games Acanomas' Aluette (in Spanish)

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FRENCH CATALAN PATTERN

While the afore-mentioned Parisian Spanish pattern was mainly an export product, during the first half of the 19th century another design inspired by the original Catalan pattern was created in south-western France for local use: the vicinity of the Spanish border likely brought a demand for this kind of cards. Locally called cartes catalanes, they are a revised version of the genuine Catalan pattern, larger in size, with more flamboyant illustrations and deeper colours. Among the distinctive features are the motifs that decorate the pips of of Coins and Cups, quite different from the usual ones.

French Catalan pattern, by Ducale (France)

Batons from the French Catalan, Catalan and Cadíz patterns; note also their considerable difference in size		Despite the name, some details are more similar to the ones found in the Cadíz pattern than to those of the modern Catalan pattern, particularly the cylindrical chalices in the Cups suit, and the shape of the cudgels in the Batons suit (see the comparison on the left). The reason for this discrepancy is that the old national Spanish pattern, i.e. the ancestor of both the Catalan and the Cadíz patterns, in the early 1800s had not yet completed its evolution into the two designs, whose features initially might have not been so distinct as they are today; in fact, the two aforesaid details were also found in old Spanish cards.

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GLOSSARY
(actual translations are shown in italics)

CARTES A JOUER	PLAYING CARDS
JEU (game)	DECK
COULEUR (colours)	SUITS
DENIERS	COINS
COUPES	CUPS
ÉPÉES	SWORDS
BATONS	BATONS
AS	ACE
VALET	KNAVE
CHEVALIER	CAVALIER
ROY	KING

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OTHER GALLERIES




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