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"Even if it's not possible to trace the exact art history surrounding the creation of these cards, social history is no less interesting in what it can tell us.
We can be certain that the cards were not intended for playing. They are too delicate for that and, above all, unsuitable because of the lack of uniform backs.
They were to be contemplated in the tranquility of leisure hours — they were not playing cards but an original creation for the collector.
From the late Renaissance, collecting works of art and curiosities was one of the favorite pastimes of princes and patricians. It was a point of honor for the lord of the manor to set up a collection if he did not want to appear uncouth. For the accommodation of the many hundreds of small objects, special cabinets were designed, which did not merely contain artistic creations but were themselves cunningly wrought works of art. The most famous example is probably the Pomeranian Cabinet, on which, following Hainhofer's notes, 28 craftsmen were at work for six years.
About the watercolored backs:
We learn nothing further about the watercolors of flower motifs on the back of the cards. They are presumably by a hand other than that which colored the faces. The flower stems have all been adapted to fit the upright format of the cards: some express the specific growth of the plant in question, others are more schematic in appearance. Special care appears to have been lavished on the many tulips and varieties of iris and lily.
The purpose of the cards is to pass time pleasantly with the subject matter deriving thematically from the suits.
Acorns are linked with ceremonial decoration, with processions and their banners, drummers, and various pranks. Leaves show hunting scenes. Hearts are associated with love and chivalry, and finally, bells are associated with the fool's costume and call to mind an impromptu comedy that bids to satisfy a higher literary appetite.
I.M.F.'s playing cards afford an insight into courtly life and manners just before the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, which only a year later was to deal a shattering blow to the apparently intact world of the carefree and luxurious upper orders of society. The hindsight that brings awareness of the misery of the time to come should not, however, be allowed to detract from our pleasure in contemplating these charming documents of their time."
