Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case EW, Shelf 116

The Knave of Bells

Playing Card
1546-1550 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Woodcut playing card showing a military figure firing a crossbow with the symbol of a bell in the bottom righthand corner.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Knave of Bells (generic title)
Materials and techniques
woodcut with hand-applied wash
Brief description
Woodcut, with hand-applied wash. In the style of Clas Oth. Playing card, probably Nuremberg, 1546-1550.
Physical description
Woodcut playing card showing a military figure firing a crossbow with the symbol of a bell in the bottom righthand corner.
Dimensions
  • Height: 7.3cm
  • Width: 4.8cm
Style
Gallery label
Playing cards were among the earliest woodcut prints, with the first reference to them dating to about 1430. These cards feature German suits – hearts, bells, acorns and leaves – and are similar to ones made by Clas Oth, a specialist card maker working in Nuremberg. For economy and speed, card makers printed an entire deck on a single sheet of paper and hand-coloured them using shaped stencils.(August 2019)
Credit line
purchased under the bequest of Capt. H.B. Murray
Subject depicted
Bibliographic reference
Jean Hamilton, Playing cards in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1988, pp 8-9
Collection
Accession number
E.989-1920

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Record createdMay 9, 2005
Record URL
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