Kaartende vrouwen rond een tafel in klederdracht 1805

This print by Reinier Vinkeles depicts women gathered around a table playing cards in traditional dress. Consider the cards themselves, tools for divination and games of chance. They are ancient symbols. Long before playing cards, there were Tarot cards, rich with symbolism. The Tarot originated in 15th-century Italy, used for games and, later, esoteric practices. The presence of cards here evokes a sense of fate and hidden knowledge, echoing their presence in fortune-telling traditions across Europe, from Italian courts to Romani communities. We find a powerful collective memory at play, a shared fascination with the unknown. The arrangement and handling of the cards, as seen here, trigger a psychological dance between hope and fear, reflecting our deeply rooted desire to control the uncontrollable. The cyclical progression of the symbol of the card continues through the centuries, resurfacing in modern-day practices like tarot reading and gaming. The emotional pull of the unknown, once deeply embedded in ritual, now finds new expression.