Six of Birds

Hi, I’m Josh O'Driscoll, Melvin R. Seiden Curator and Department Head of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, and co-curator of this exhibition. 

As a more affordable alternative to hand-painted decks, printed playing cards enjoyed widespread use in the fifteenth century, and even served as models for paintings and illuminated manuscripts. The creative spirit of these mass-produced cards can be seen in the work of the anonymous engraver known as the Master E.S., who made two printed decks of playing cards in the early 1460s. 

The Six of Birds, shown here, demonstrates his inventive approach. Rather than presenting the suit as a simple arrangement of repeated forms, the artist gives careful attention to each individual bird. Their poses vary, and their interactions create a sense of movement and liveliness across the surface of the card. The composition is both decorative and observational, balancing pattern with a close study of the natural world. 

Renaissance artists relied on model books to produce the many recurring figures required for card designs. A notable example is the sketchbook leaf from the workshop of Pisanello, displayed nearby. Such sheets provided stock motifs, particularly of animals and birds, that could be recombined in different contexts. 

The birds on this card closely echo those found in such model books, suggesting that the engraver drew on an established visual vocabulary rather than inventing each figure anew. The Six of Birds thus demonstrates how Renaissance artists could draw upon shared models while transforming them into fresh and compelling visual compositions.