Vittoria Playing Cards is the second volume in the Florus Drama series of fine art playing cards by artist Nicolai Aaroe. Funded in under 24 hours on Kickstarter, the deck artistically capture the mystique of the black masquerade and the elegance of Venetian tradition.
The Florus Drama series is where Nicolai challenge his comfort zones and experiment with color, floral patterns, and historical interests. While the first volume in the series, Hunters of York, is based on the Tulip Bubble Nicolai needed a historic starting point for Vittoria to keep the design as authentic and relevant as possible. On the inspiration Nicolai said,
The mystique and suspense of Stanley Kubricks movie Eyes Wide Shut really got under my skin and has never really left me. The masquerade scene has unnerving suspense and dark atmosphere that I find really captivating. What I find particularly interesting is the secretive behavior of every character involved in the ceremony. This conduct and their serious facial expressions is something that I wanted to transfer over to the face cards of Vittoria directly. There is not a happy mood about these courts, which has been my artistic vision all along. This makes you wonder about their desires, darkest secrets and objectives. The only smile you see is the very spiteful one by the Jack of Hearts, who is wearing a Joker costume.
The fully custom deck is designed in collaboration with Martin Helgren. The face cards are based on extensive research and present authentic Venetian mask types. All courts are illustrated by hand with unique color schemes. On the theme, Nicolai continued,
It was not until I visited Venice with my wife in 2014 that I felt a creative urge grow within me to design a deck of cards based on the history of the Venetian carnival. I find this city as magical and fascinating as the magnificence of Italian architecture and art. So this particular piece of Italian history coupled with my dark art style formed the foundation of Vittoria Playing Cards several years ago.
Two limited edition decks with deluxe features in a dark Venetian theme are on offer during the Kickstarter campaign- Volto and Bauta. For the Volto edition, the card backs are printed with vivianite blue Pantone and golden metallic ink. Tucks are manufactured with a genuine Italian black matte stock, gold metal foil, black varnish, custom shape seals and exquisite embossing. The tuck interior is embellished with gold foil Italian floral ornamentation. The Volto face cards come in a vivid and rich color scheme with black and Azalean red suits.
Meanwhile, the Bauta edition represents the power of simplicity and secrecy. The Bauta edition tuck is manufactured with a genuine Italian black matte stock, gold metal foil, selective varnish, custom shape seals and exquisite embossing. The card backs are printed with black Pantone and golden metallic ink. Inside, the Bauta face cards have a washed out color scheme with black and golden suits.
The decks will be printed by NPCC and pledge starts at $13 for a deck on Kickstarter. Also, add-ons suck as dealers coin, deck pouch, brick boxes, and booklet are available. Don’t miss out!
