Cartes de Suisses

The “Cartes de Suisses” is a name sometimes given to an 18th-century standard pattern of Tarot playing cards that were initially produced in Rouen, and later in the Austrian Netherlands as well as in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège,[1] now both part of Belgium.

Tarot playing cards emerged in the early 15th century in northern Italy, the first documented packs being associated with Milan, Ferrara, Florence and Bologna when an additional set of trumps known as trionfi were added to a standard, Italian-suited pack with the four suits: Swords, Batons, Cups and Coins.

[7] Although it is said that “In the late 16th century a heavy French tax on playing card manufacture drove many cardmakers to emigrate to Switzerland where they created a new design of tarot pack that became known as Cartes de Suisses.

On the contrary, these cards appear to have a strong Italian underlying design with a clear layer of Norman details added.

This pattern was adopted by cardmakers in the Austrian Netherlands perhaps as a result of the spread of a Swiss tarot card game, such as Troggu, to that part of the world during the 18th century.