Andrea Ghisi
Set of Twelve Laberinto Playing Cards, 17th century
Ink on paper
Little Salon
Commentary
This set of twelve stamp-sized playing cards represents a small portion of the sixty card deck used for a 17th century pseudo-mind reading game called Laberinto. The creator of the game, Venetian playing card maker Andrea Ghisi, modeled the card designs after the so-called “Mantegna Tarocchi,” two sets of 15th century old master prints in engraving originally attributed to Andrea Mantegna.
Isabella likely picked these cards up during one of her many trips to Venice. A thirteenth card can be found pasted inside a guest book Isabella kept to record her visitors during an 1899 Venetian trip (v.1.b.4.16).