Indian Bone Playing Card

Rectangular panel missing one top corner, still carrying a camel rider and his retinue.

This painted bone playing card is from India, and dates to the early 20th century. It is pigment & bone. Painted playing pieces often show gods, kings, animals and patterns drawn in mineral and plant pigments, and each suit usually has its own colour and symbols. Tall dark rectangular panel with a chipped upper left edge and flaking at the top. A figure in a round cap sits on a camel with a decorated blanket, with attendants walking alongside. The black ground is scuffed and the colors are muted. It is 2.1 inches wide and 3.5 high.

A bit nibbled, but the procession keeps its pace.