Playing Cards — Orange Cards or the Revolution of 1688

Jaime Ortiz-Patiño (Sotheby's, London, 10 December 2013, English literature, history, children's books and illustrations, lot 224);

Acquired at the above sale by the present collector

Jaime Ortiz-Patiño Collection of Early Playing Cards, #15;

The Fournier Museum Catalogue, Volume I: British Isles, #13

A complete deck of political propaganda playing cards covering the reign of James II and celebrating the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The cards are numbered sequentially, so that the story can be followed in order beginning with the birth of James' son and heir on the ace of spades, and ending with the arrival of William of Orange on the eight of diamonds. The deck includes gruesome episodes such as the popish midwife chopping up her husband, and satirical scenes such as a priest selling Thomas a Becket's stockings at auction.

The arrival of William of Orange in England was accompanied by a major propaganda campaign, which was fully embraced by London's playing card makers — this is one of several sets issued around this time celebrating his arrival in England. This deck may have been engraved after designs by Francis Barlow, who produced a number of similarly Anti-Catholic decks. For other anti-Catholic cards designed by Barlow, see lots 364, 366, and 370— The "Horrid Popish Plot" decks.

Rare — "The only other copy of this deck is in the British Museum" (Fournier). We also trace a set that sold at auction in 2022.