Theatrical opera playing cards. Each suit is the plot of the opera: spade - "Faust", diamond - "Iolanta", heart - "Othello", and clubs - "Rigoletto".
In general, it should be noted that Viktor Sveshnikov's decks are part of the gold fund of card graphics created in the USSR.
The history of this deck and all three others is interesting. This deck was originally printed with the king of hearts - Othello, the Venetian Moor from a play by William Shakespeare, but then the character of the card was replaced with a white one. Why the black color of the skin was censored is not very clear, because the USSR was actively friends with many African countries and the international in general! But the fact remains, the Moor deck is a rarity. For the first time in the deck, sketches of a joker and several cards are published - 2 variations of jacks of diamonds and queens and a queen of spades and of course both variations of the king of hearts from the author of the deck, Viktor Sveshnikov. These sketches, unfortunately, went to a private collection abroad. And I have very high suspicions that the sketches went there illegally. When a new publishing house Printissa appeared in St. Petersburg in 2005, Viktor Sveshnikov's daughter came to them and brought unpublished originals of her father's decks. But the management of the publishing house did not buy it. Apparently they did not agree on the price, or maybe they refused right away. For a long time I tried to find Sveshnikov's daughter, but to no avail. If anyone has information write to me. Most collectors never show their collections, either at exhibitions or on the Internet. Therefore, there are more secrets and mysteries than necessary.
Designer: Victor Sveshnikov