Alberto Peruzzo Editore - Carte Piacentine (1861)
Having explored Modiano’s modern take on the Piacentine pattern, it’s now time to examine this regional style at an earlier stage. To do so, we’ll analyze Carte Piacentine, a deck published by Alberto Peruzzo Editore. This is a reproduction of an 1861 historical pack featuring artwork by Lattanzio Lamperti.
Although we already covered the historical context and general structure of the pack in our Modiano review, a quick recap is in order. The deck comprises 40 cards across four suits (coins, cups, swords, and batons), each featuring an ace, pip cards up to 7, and three courts (Knave, Knight, and King). It differs from standard Spanish playing cards due to its elongated card shape, as well as the complete absence of indices and border breaks (pintas). The adoption of Spanish suits in Italy correlates geographically with territories that were influenced by or under the control of the Spanish Crown at some point in their history.
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Examining both packs side by side makes it clear just how little this pattern has changed over time, with their common heritage being apparent at first glance. The iconography remains largely unchanged, as seen in the human faces on the coins, and the depiction of the cups and swords. Likewise, the aces remain nearly identical, save for the blank circle intended for the tax stamp on the chest of the Ace of Coins' crowned eagle, and the addition of an infant or cherub on the Ace of Batons. Otherwise, it retains all the elegance and restraint we described in the previous post.
That said, differences do exist, and it certainly doesn't feel like we're looking at two identical sets. The most striking distinction lies in the court cards, which, unlike Modiano’s double-headed figures, are depicted here as full-body portraits bringing them closer to their Spanish roots; perhaps less practical for gameplay than their modern counterpart, yet a definite plus in terms of artistic depth.
And speaking of artistic depth, these 19th-century engravings show more exuberant and varied details, without ever feeling cluttered. Rather than a purely evolutionary shift, however, this quality can be attributed—at least in part—to the artist: Lattanzio Lamperti. A highly regarded Italian card maker, Lamperti is best known for his hyper-realistic tarot decks, which often featured figures dressed in contemporary fashion rather than medieval attire. His signature appears on both the Ace of Coins and the King of Batons, fittingly, the very first and last cards of the pack.
A few final remarks before wrapping up this section. At the risk of sounding repetitive, the use of double-ended court cards is a fairly recent addition to this pattern, even though it's the dominant variant today. On the other hand, the ornamental refinement seen in this deck wasn't necessarily the norm back then, and was likely reserved for what we would now consider 'high-end' packs. Soon, we’ll analyze a contemporary set with more austere artwkork, making for a rather striking contrast.
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As for the quality of the reproduction itself, it is fair to say it's decent, though by no means outstanding. The materials and finish are similar to those found in the well-known facsimiles from the Ediciones del Prado collection. It’s worth noting that the print quality here falls slightly below the latter, though the satin finish and somewhat thicker cardstock chosen by Alberto Peruzzo help balance the scales.
That being said, I must point out a serious quality control issue with my particular copy. Even though I bought the deck factory-sealed and opened it myself, upon examining it I realized there were two copies of the 7 of Swords and the 4 was missing entirely—a flaw I've encountered before with decks produced by general publishing companies rather than dedicated playing card manufacturers.
Coins
Cups
Swords
Batons
Card Back
Tuck Box
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