I have no idea, but it looks like they would be much easier to paint with brushes. Or maybe it's to simplify printing with a press; simple shapes, one color each. Just wondering aloud.
Suit evolution is quite an interesting topic. The first known card decks were usually made of several hundreds of cards and were not standardized, some didn't even have suits. Symbols, images and shapes varied greatly as they were usually hand painted. This European suits are offshoots of Islamic suits. Most likely, each of these suit styles was an attempt to standardize some game or production at different historical points in time and through the interpretation by entirely different artists. The common theory for French abstraction is that they are much simpler symbols which are faster and easier to reproduce in large quantities. Particularly easy to engrave on the first woodwork prints for mass production.
I mean, up until the '50s we didn't even speak the same language... every region had their own language (Italians called them "dialect", but they're in fact different langauges). Then television came and unified the language (standard Italian is just the dialect of Tuscany).
Italy is a very young country. Sure, the Ancient Romans unified the whole Europe, but Italy has only became a nation in 1861. Pretty young country if you ask me.
Whenever I travel somewhere, as a souvenir, I buy the local design of playing cards. Even within the colour-regions there are many variations. I might be biased because I’m dutch, but the Dutch Cut is one of my favourites, because of the architecture on the aces!
In Italy every region has their own design! (Even within the ones shown in this map.)
In Spain every single playing card company has its own design (even if they are all swords, sticks, coins and cups), probably more than one. I don't think I've ever seen the same design twice, every house I go to has different cards.
Yeah that happens a lot in the rest of the world too. In Italy there are two main manufacturers and they each have their own slight variations upon every regional design. Here in NL I don’t even see the classic (carta mundi brand) dutch style anymore. It’s mostly American cards here now.
Huh, pretty cool. I live in the blue area, and always thought others used the same type, because that's what I've seen in all the places I've been. Is there data available for the rest of the world?
Thanks, but that URL doesn't load on my phone, so I'll check it out on my PC tomorrow. I'm curious if all the countries I've visited have used French style.
In latin America spanish style cards are often used, and you might find some southern italian designs with italian-americans. But for the most part the rest of the world uses the standard “french” suits.
Also, nowadays if you ask for a deck of cards in most of the other places, you’re still likely to get a french-suited deck. Usually the american style (think of your typical bycicle brand card deck).
When I tried to buy a dutch style deck here in the Netherlands they didn't even have it at my local board game store! I had to order them online.
There's a Dutch suit too?? I feel like some island inhabitant who just learned that there's a whole world out there full of people, planes, porn, and pop culture, after having grown up alone with his coconuts. This is definitely a rabbit hole I need to explore.
Only Latin American country I've been to is Brazil, and at least the deck of cards we had there was French suit.
Food in Zurich can be so goddamned expensive. I spent the last few days of a trip there. Beautiful city, fantastic transportation, honestly, not a horrifically expensive hotel, but the food was brutal. We ended up doing a lot of snacking from the co-op supermarket.
Oh god it's so bad, I'm about to apply for a job on campus and I really hope to get the job just so I can get back to eat at the campus restorant again!
Yes probably is for profit as it is catered by migros, one of the largest supermarket chains here. Some floors in the office have some discount (11chf instead of 14), so maybe those companies pay migros to allow their employees get cheaper meals.
In Germany, I pay 8€ for Main dish, side dish, salad and a drink in die Kantine. Outside it would be almost double for the same. How much does this cost outside your Firma?
What are those fried bits? They kinda look like small Gnocchi or something similar.
Should be "Knöpfli". Gnocchi are primarily made from potatoes or potato flour, sometimes combined with wheat flour and egg, Knöpfle/Knöpfli are more similar to the swabian Spätzle and common in Switzerland, it's made from eggs, flour and water or milk.
YUROP
Heiß