The State History Museum has opened a new exhibition that is dedicated to playing cards.
      
      Apart from their direct function cards become genuine works of art, and objects of collectors’ interest and love. A card’s aesthetics is manifested in its composition, the choice of font, mastery of execution, subject images and decorative details.
      The museum experts have emphasized the semantics of the word karta (Russian word for “card”) – it has the same root as kartina (i.e. “picture”). Both of them are derived from hartina, that is “charter”, denoting “paper”.
      
      The exhibition is aimed to demonstrate how cards were changing in the course of time and how cartographic plots gradually joined the range of decorative surroundings. Awarding and commemorative medals, silver items, porcelain and orthodox icons will tell visitors about it.
      
      The exhibition will last till 31st August 2011.
      
      Source: oreanda.ru
      
Author: Vera Ivanova