Playing Card with Nine Parrots, Meester PW van Keulen, c. 1499 - c. 1510
engraving, h 70mm × w 70mm More details
This rare print belongs to a set of 72 playing cards. The artist clearly delights in portraying nine ring-necked parrots in different poses. This is quite remarkable, for they were not native to Northern Europe. Imported from India, these birds were not only beautiful but also valuable. Until the late Middle Ages they were therefore mainly kept in secular and ecclesiastical courts.
