Six Spades, Antique Playing Cards, Presumed Belgian, Late 18th C. flask the super smooth surface

the super smooth surface

I'm fairly certain 1960s or so

and voluminous purple skirt of woman on the other--and then that great view of the landscape behind them through huge open window

and a half-circle of black with a purple star inside for the nose

this emphatically handmade ashtray at least has a very strong make-do trench art sensibility

Six Spades, Antique Playing Cards, Presumed Belgian, Late 18th C. flask the super smooth surfaceI first purchased a batch of heart pips from this very same deck from a seller in Holland, who has been parsing them out a few at a time. When he posted these I snatched them up immediately I think they are just extraordinarily beautiful! I believe they date to the 1780s or so and are likely Belgian, which was a hub for playing card production in the 18th century, largely for export to England. I just love their imperfectly cut, square edged,