Prague pattern, Bonaparte

Prague or Bohemian pattern, Bonapate, 32+1c

This is a more modern example of the "Prague pattern". This particular example was purchased just over a year ago. It is an example of the Prague pattern, one of the more charming patterns in use today.
For a similar deck, made by another manufacturer, see http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2012/01/jednohave-prague-pattern-piatnik.html  

The pattern is pretty similar to the Piatnik version. Note the ace of leaves, where the heraldical shield in the Piatnik version is replaced by a design involving a pair of fishes. Apart from that, the greatest differnce is in the colour of the deck. The rich, vibrant greens and reds have been replaced by lighter shades. I feel this removes much of the beauty of the cards. 

 It seems that the deck has been deliberatly given a very "rough-hewn"appearance. 

The pip cards of the deck. The little vignettes at the bottom of each card are identical to their Piatnik cousins. The only curiosity is the eight of bells ( top row, 2nd from left). Like the Piatnik card, it contains the maker's name. However, the dog in this card is riderless ( unlike the Piatnik). In addition the 8 of bells possesses a barcode. 

Tell pattern , Bonaparte

(Tell pattern), Bonaparte, 32c +1

The following deck is made by Bonaparte, a Czechoslovakian company. It is based on the  "Tell pattern", but has several notable differences.

The first differnce is the lack of names. Most "tell pattern" decks name the court cards and aces. For example, the ace of leaves ( Top row, first card from left) is typically labelled ozsp/herbst , meaning autumn. 

The court cards in such decks are usually labelled, which is also absent in this deck. For example, the ober of acorns ( Bottom row, 3rd from left) is titled "William Tell". This is absent, but the card still depicts Tell-- The cross-bow he holds is Tell-ing! 

Apart from the differences above, the cards are quite similar to most patterns. The only differnce appears to be the use of more muted palate of colours. 

( compare http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2011/10/magyar-kartya.html  and http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2011/11/miniature-tell-pattern-piatnik.html )

 Comparisons between the present deck ( marked B) and a more typical deck, by Piatnik. 

(marked P)  The top row shows the court cards, and the differences are quite obvious. 

The makers seem to have removed all references to the William tell legend in the pip cards. For example, in the 8 of hearts, ( Bottom row, first pair from left), the Piatnik deck depicts a scene in the  William tell legend where he steers a boat across  a stormy lake. The Bonaparte deck shows a simple sailing ship. 

Although the scenes in the cards have been altered, the designers of the Bonaparte deck have decided to retain the theme of the cards. The 7 of bells ( First pair from left) depicts a parting couple, but the piatnik deck includes a child-- presumably Tell's son. The 7 of hearts ( second pair from left) instead of showing Gessler's death, shows a simple mounted figure.