Caravaggio's "Cardsharps"

[Bill Mullins]

The museum's commentary on this painting (ca. 1595) says that one of the players wears gloves with "the fingertips exposed, better to feel marked cards".

Is this consistent with what we know about tactile markings? What is the earliest record of pegged cards?

[Bob Coyne]

Cool picture!

Gilbert Walker mentions pegged cards in A Manifest Detection of Diceplay (1552).

[Jack Shalom]

Exposed fingers are so he can work his touch screen devices.

[Philippe Billot]

Bob, when you write: "Gilbert Walker mentions pegged card", you make reference with this sentence?

"some pinch the cards privily with their nails"

[Bob Coyne]

Yes, it's the sentence where he talks about different ways of marking cards: "Some play upon the prick*, some pinch the cards privily with their nails, some turn up the corners, some mark them with fine spots of ink."

* The endnotes interpret "play upon the prick" as using "marked cards identified by pinholes"

[Philippe Billot]

Thank you, Bob.

I have found the text modernized by Alex Kay on the Net but I haven't the one with endnotes.

Could you give me the reference of your book, please?

[Bob Coyne]

Philippe,

The book I have is "Rogues, Vagabonds & Sturdy Beggars -- A New Gallery of Tudor and Early Stuart Rogue Literature." Edited by Arthur F. Kinney.

It contains the following texts:
Gilbert Walker, A Manifest Detection of Diceplay (1552)
John Awdeley, The Fraternity of Vagabonds (1561)
Thomas Harman, A Caveat for Common Cursitors Vulgarly Called Vagabonds (1566)
Robert Greene, A Notable Discovery of Cozenage (1591)
Robert Greene, The Black Book's Messenger (1592)
Thomas Dekker, Lantern and Candle-light (1608)
Samuel Rid, The Art of Juggling (1612)

There's also a 50 page introduction, 20 pages of endnotes, and a 6 page Elizabethan glossary.

I just checked and it's available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Rogues-Vagabonds ... 870237187/

[Philippe Billot]

Thanks again, Bob.