Playing Cards

16585A

From: India | Maharashtra

Curatorial Section: Asian

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Object Number 16585A
Current Location Collections Storage
Culture Indian | Hindu
Provenience India | Maharashtra
Date Made 19th Century - 1893
Section Asian
Materials Paper | Lacquer
Technique Lacquered
Iconography Trishula | Gada | Ankusha | Pustaka
Description

Ganjifa cards. Aryadev pack. 30 round numeral playing cards of lacquered paper. Each card is red on one side. On the other side each card has a green or red edge with two concentric circles in yellow close to the edge. Each suit has a Hindu God as King and an appropriate symbol for that deity as a suit sign. At the center the motif for each suit is repeated one to ten times. There are four suits which are as follows: yellow background with black trishula or tridents, Shiva as king (9 cards); red background with yellow Ankusha or elephant goads, Ganesha as king (6 cards); green background with yellow rectangles with black lettering which probably represent Vedas, Brahma as king (8 cards); black background with yellow and red Gada or clubs, Vishnu as king (7 cards).

Outside Diameter 6.8 cm
Credit Line Purchased from / at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893

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