Andy's Playing Cards - Uncut Sheets of Playing Cards

This page shows a Piemontesi pattern by Edoardo Pignalosa. It is a further French-suited pattern, whose three known compositions may range from 36 cards (smallest) to 52 cards (largest).

These cards, as well as the Genovesi pattern used in the neighbor region, are closely related to the French-Belgian pattern, many details of which the Piemontesi have maintained, such as the hexagonal 15th century headware worn by all knaves, the flowers held by the queens, and others. Such similarities can be easily understood considering that Piedmont is Italy's closest region to France, through which filtered most of the French cultural influence.

These cards, as well as the Genovesi pattern used in the neighbor region, are closely related to the French-Belgian pattern, many details of which the Piemontesi have maintained, such as the hexagonal 15th century headware worn by all knaves, the flowers held by the queens, and others. Such similarities can be easily understood considering that Piedmont is Italy's closest region to France, through which filtered most of the French cultural influence.

	The sheet contains pip cards starting with 1 (ace), running from 6 to 10, and the three courts. Such composition is the smallest known deck of this pattern which, not by chance, corresponds to that of the French national pattern. As described in page 2 for Trevigiane cards, Pignalosa might have printed the pip cards needed for larger compositions (40-card and 52-card versions) on separate sheets. The size of this sheet is therefore smaller than the average, 50 x 34 cm (19¾ x 13½ in).

The sheet contains pip cards starting with 1 (ace), running from 6 to 10, and the three courts. Such composition is the smallest known deck of this pattern which, not by chance, corresponds to that of the French national pattern. As described in page 2 for Trevigiane cards, Pignalosa might have printed the pip cards needed for larger compositions (40-card and 52-card versions) on separate sheets.
The size of this sheet is therefore smaller than the average, 50 x 34 cm (19¾ x 13½ in).

The Piemontesi pattern might be easily mistaken with the Genovesi or with the French-Belgian cards, but two details allow an easy identification.

In first place, the courts are doubled following a horizontal line, versus the diagonal line of the aforesaid patterns.

A second clue is that the aces are encircled by a decorative girdle, whose colours may be all black in some editions, or black for Clubs and Spades and red for Diamonds and Hearts in others.

The ace of Hearts may sometimes lack a girdle (while the others are always encircled); in Pignalosa's edition the name and address of the maker has been used for this purpose: it is therefore spelt in a double line that runs vertically on either side of the pip, describing a wavy direction. Interestingly, this is the only pattern in which the workshop's address is mentioned with a double entrance (nos.76 and 77).

On the back of the sheet is the standard criss-cross texture, with a small inscription on the edge whose numbers probably refer to a date: 6th of May, 1949.

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