Playing Card Deck

29-238-8

From: China | Beijing

Curatorial Section: Asian

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Object Number 29-238-8
Current Location Collections Storage
Culture Chinese
Provenience China | Beijing
Period 19th Century
Date Made 1889 - 1893
Section Asian
Materials Paper | Ink
Technique Printed
Iconography Money Suited | White Flower | Old Thousand | Wang Ying | Water Margin | Fish
Inscription Language Chinese Language
Description

"Stick cards" or Gun Pai 棍牌. This type of deck contains money cards with three suits: 1-9 of cash, 1-9 of strings (of cash) and 1-9 of myriads (of strings) (wan), and three extra court cards. One of the court cards is the white flower card with 白支 Bai Zhi (white branch) at the top. Another is the Old Thousand card with 老千 Lao Qian (Old Thousand) at the top. The third court card has 益仁 Yi Ren (increase humaneness) at the top and a portrait of Wang Ying. The 1 of strings of cash has a fish on it with 張慎 Zhang Shen written on the body identifying the manufacturer as Zhang. Pack of 120 rectangular playing cards. Backs black. Faces printed in black and sometimes also with red.

From Culin publication: "From Peking. Four packets of thirty; no jokers. Index marks vary for suit and pips. Artistic cards in cream white on a black ground. Total, 120."

Length 6.7 cm
Width 1.7 cm
Credit Line Purchased from William Henry Wilkinson, 1903
Other Number Wilkinson 8 - Collector Number | 29-191-242.4 - Old Museum Number

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