The Maker
Swiss artist Gertrud Kümpel-Amsler was commissioned to design a card-themed stained glass window for the offices of the great card manufacturers, AG Müller. Her work on the project proved such a success that in 1989 she was asked to design a deck of cards along a similar theme.

The Cards
This deck has a striking and unique design, combining the style of stained glass with the art deco genre. Each suit is represented in two colours: Clubs in orange and blue, Diamonds in green and orange, Hearts in blue and red, and Spades in red and green. The pip cards have no numerals, with their values instead represented by the number of suit marks. The court cards have a single full-length figure on each, which appear to represent the classic royal figures, some holding sceptres. The three jokers are also full-length figures, in rather more strange poses, and labelled "joker". The Queen of Diamonds is featured on the slipcase in which the deck is housed.

Kümpel-Amsler's cards were originally published as a numbered edition of 150 decks. This was soon followed by another unnumbered edition, as here.