Moorish Playing Card Deck Fragment

About the Deck

From an uncut sheet found in a museum in Barcelona. This deck provides an important link between the Mamluk deck pattern and the Mediterranean deck pattern, because it shares features of both; in general it looks fairly European, but the wands look like Polo Sticks and the Cups still look like Myriads, harking back to Ancient Chinese money-suited cards.

Provenance

Spain, c. 1414.

According to Many Schools of Thought

Papus's Divinatory Meanings

Commencement of enmity.

A. E. Waite's Secondary Meanings

Upright

Great prosperity or great misery.

Reversed

Marriage broken off, for a woman, through her own imprudence.

Mme. Le Normand's Divinatory Meanings

The inquirer, if male.

Mme. Le Normand's Divinatory Meanings

The inquirer, if female.

S. L. MacGregor Mathers's Divinatory Meanings

Upright

Triumph, Fecundity, Fertility, Prosperity

Reversed

Embarrassment, Foolish and Hopeless Love, Obstacle, Hindrance.

P.R.S. Foli's Divinatory Meanings

Upright

Emotional enjoyment

Reversed

news of a death, sorrow.

Mme. Le Marchand's Divinatory Meanings

if you keep it a secret that you dye your hair (or beard) a certain person will bestow his (her) heart upon you.