The German invention of wood-block printing in the early 15th century significantly reduced the cost of production, which was further reduced in France in the 1480s by painting through stencils, a practice resulting in the distinctively simplified design of suitmarks technically designated French but now generally called international because of their worldwide popularity: pique, coeur, carreau, trèfle-known in English as spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs-which are symbolized below.Ĭost reductions further expanded the social appeal of card games and enhanced their inherent advantages over traditional indoor games. Cards gradually spread along the inland European trade routes during the 15th century as a favoured pastime of the upper classes. The account book of King Charles VI of France (now lost) is said to have noted a payment of 56 sols parisiens to Jacquemin Gringonneur for painting a deck of cards “pour le divertissement du roy” (“for the amusement of the king”). Like their originals, the first European cards were hand-painted, making them luxury goods for the rich. Playing cards first appeared in Europe in the 1370s, probably in Italy or Spain and certainly as imports or possessions of merchants from the Islamic Mamlūk dynasty centred in Egypt. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.From tech to household and wellness products. Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.
Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.