Huck
Autorbis posted the following at LTarot (given with permission of the author):
"Winter was in the time of renaissance the time of playing. Naturally ... the farmers had free time and the days were too dark and too cold to do much at the outside.
Rainer Müller in his essay about the early distribution of chess
http://webdoc.gwdg.de/edoc/p/cma/5-02/mueller.pdf
in German language reports, that for at least one German city the 1st of January had special playing activities - constituted in the city laws, probably relevant to the late 14th century, in the time, when playing cards started their great distribution in Europe.
The Augsburger Monatsbilder, painted begin 16th century, when Augsburg was the rich "city of the Fuggers", show for the month of January a scene full of players, cards, chess and backgammon are recognizable:
http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/kurzweil/ikona/win01.jpg
As already told, the appearance of plays during winter is very natural, not specifically remarkable.
The following was detected by Ross Gregory Caldwell in the course of the past year, when we were in cooperation researching possible roots of the 5x14-decks, which, according to our opinion, were the origin of the later Tarot with 22 trumps.
The text is from one of the Ferrarese account books, of course it is written in Latin, of course handwritten, so that there are unsecurities, if the text was correctly identified. We didn't see the original, only the transcription of Andrea Francesschini (the source is given at http://trionfi.com/01/e/r71/ at the menu point "references").
The text is:
E adi deto (1 gennaio) lire due, soldi cinque marchesani, contanti a Magistro Iacopo de Sagramoro depintore per XIIII figure depinte in carta de bambaxo et mandate a Madama Bianca da Milano per fare festa la scira de la Circumcisione de l'anno presente... L.II.V.
The translation of Ross is this:
"And on the said day (1 January) two lire, five soldi marchesane, reckoned to Maestro Jacopo de Sagramoro, painter, for 14 figures painted on cotton paper and sent to Lady Bianca of Milan, to make festive the celebration of the Circumcision of the present year ... L. II. V."
The Circumcision is celebrated at the first of January. The year of the entry is 1441.
Maestro Jacopo de Sagramoro is the same painter, who about one year later appears as the painter of the 4 first noted "Trionfi decks":
"Maestro Jacomo, painter, called Sagramoro, having on the 10th of February for his recompense, for having coloured and painted the cups and the swords and the coins and batons and all the figures of 4 packs of small triumph cards, and for making of the backs one pack red and 3 packs green, decorated with roundels made in oil, which our Lord had for his use; deducted 1 precii by Galioto de l’Asassino chamberlain of the aforesaid Lord by commission of the Lord; at the rate of five lire per pack ........ L. XX"
This entry refers to the 10th of February 1442, one year later
For the entry of 1.1.1441 it might be assumed, that Leonello is the commissioner of the "XIIII figure depinte in carta de bambaxo". Leonello is at this time a possible husband-in-spe for "Lady Bianca of Milan", the illegetime daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti. She is at that time 15 years old and at a 1/2-year-visit in Ferrara - and she is the Lady Di of that time. As Filippo has no mail heirs, her husband might become Duke of Milano and with that the probably richest and most influential man of all Italy.
Well, we know, that Bianca Maria married Francesco Sforza later and not Leonello, but at the begin of 1441 none of the participants of the situation knew, how this year of decision would finally turn out. Francesco Sforza was opponent in war to Filippo Visconti in spring 1441.
Leonello was a serious alternative. His first wife had died one year before, he was free and he was the most attractive possible husband, that the reality of 1441 knew: Intelligent, the heir of Ferrara, cultivated.
Probably he tried his luck with the 14 paintings.
Carta da Bambaxo (cotton paper) is a material suitable for playing cards. The note in the Ferrarese account books mentions, that these 14 Figure are for the "amusement in the evening" or for the "party at night", it leaves the question open, what the intended use of the pictures was. "Playing cards" would be a natural solution for the riddle, it's winter and an accepted time for playing. The document of 1441 mentions "14 figure" - the same expression "figure" is used in the Trionfi-document one year later.
14 figure - we were in search for a further proof of the 5x14-deck.
In the year 1457 the following document appears in Ferrara:
"Maestro Gerardo di Andrea da Vicenza, painter, having the 21st day of July, for his making and expense in fine gold, coloured, for having painted two packs of big triumph cards, which are 70 cards per deck, covered thickly with gold, and made entirely of colours fine and rich, and painted on the reverse one pack red, one pack green. The which had Piedro de Schiveto for the use of the Lord; the which said [Gerardo] asked 8 ducats per pack, at 56 soldi per ducat, totalling 22 lire, 8 soldi; and Galeotto the tax 28 lire. Subracting 2 soldi per lira, which is 2, 16 soldi; remains to his credit … L. 25. 4."
It clearly talks of 70 cards, not of 78, and this it does 16 years after the document of 1441.
The Pierpont-Morgan-Bergamo Tarocchi only knows 14 trumps painted by Bembo, the other 6 existing trumps are painted by a second unknown artist, probably some years later.
The document of 1441 doesn't talk of Trionfi cards - why should it, we've no evidence of a use for this name before 1442.
The scene of 1441 might be the "scene of invention of a new kind of deck". It even doesn't state "playing cards". Perhaps they were just creating the deck, perhaps they started with big pictures, fighting with the choice of the "correct" motifs.
Happy new year.
Lothar
For reference:
http://trionfi.com/01/e/r71/
menu points: "Figure"
"document 1"
"document 16"
http://trionfi.com/01/f/
***************************
forwarded by Huck
"Winter was in the time of renaissance the time of playing. Naturally ... the farmers had free time and the days were too dark and too cold to do much at the outside.
Rainer Müller in his essay about the early distribution of chess
http://webdoc.gwdg.de/edoc/p/cma/5-02/mueller.pdf
in German language reports, that for at least one German city the 1st of January had special playing activities - constituted in the city laws, probably relevant to the late 14th century, in the time, when playing cards started their great distribution in Europe.
The Augsburger Monatsbilder, painted begin 16th century, when Augsburg was the rich "city of the Fuggers", show for the month of January a scene full of players, cards, chess and backgammon are recognizable:
http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/kurzweil/ikona/win01.jpg
As already told, the appearance of plays during winter is very natural, not specifically remarkable.
The following was detected by Ross Gregory Caldwell in the course of the past year, when we were in cooperation researching possible roots of the 5x14-decks, which, according to our opinion, were the origin of the later Tarot with 22 trumps.
The text is from one of the Ferrarese account books, of course it is written in Latin, of course handwritten, so that there are unsecurities, if the text was correctly identified. We didn't see the original, only the transcription of Andrea Francesschini (the source is given at http://trionfi.com/01/e/r71/ at the menu point "references").
The text is:
E adi deto (1 gennaio) lire due, soldi cinque marchesani, contanti a Magistro Iacopo de Sagramoro depintore per XIIII figure depinte in carta de bambaxo et mandate a Madama Bianca da Milano per fare festa la scira de la Circumcisione de l'anno presente... L.II.V.
The translation of Ross is this:
"And on the said day (1 January) two lire, five soldi marchesane, reckoned to Maestro Jacopo de Sagramoro, painter, for 14 figures painted on cotton paper and sent to Lady Bianca of Milan, to make festive the celebration of the Circumcision of the present year ... L. II. V."
The Circumcision is celebrated at the first of January. The year of the entry is 1441.
Maestro Jacopo de Sagramoro is the same painter, who about one year later appears as the painter of the 4 first noted "Trionfi decks":
"Maestro Jacomo, painter, called Sagramoro, having on the 10th of February for his recompense, for having coloured and painted the cups and the swords and the coins and batons and all the figures of 4 packs of small triumph cards, and for making of the backs one pack red and 3 packs green, decorated with roundels made in oil, which our Lord had for his use; deducted 1 precii by Galioto de l’Asassino chamberlain of the aforesaid Lord by commission of the Lord; at the rate of five lire per pack ........ L. XX"
This entry refers to the 10th of February 1442, one year later
For the entry of 1.1.1441 it might be assumed, that Leonello is the commissioner of the "XIIII figure depinte in carta de bambaxo". Leonello is at this time a possible husband-in-spe for "Lady Bianca of Milan", the illegetime daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti. She is at that time 15 years old and at a 1/2-year-visit in Ferrara - and she is the Lady Di of that time. As Filippo has no mail heirs, her husband might become Duke of Milano and with that the probably richest and most influential man of all Italy.
Well, we know, that Bianca Maria married Francesco Sforza later and not Leonello, but at the begin of 1441 none of the participants of the situation knew, how this year of decision would finally turn out. Francesco Sforza was opponent in war to Filippo Visconti in spring 1441.
Leonello was a serious alternative. His first wife had died one year before, he was free and he was the most attractive possible husband, that the reality of 1441 knew: Intelligent, the heir of Ferrara, cultivated.
Probably he tried his luck with the 14 paintings.
Carta da Bambaxo (cotton paper) is a material suitable for playing cards. The note in the Ferrarese account books mentions, that these 14 Figure are for the "amusement in the evening" or for the "party at night", it leaves the question open, what the intended use of the pictures was. "Playing cards" would be a natural solution for the riddle, it's winter and an accepted time for playing. The document of 1441 mentions "14 figure" - the same expression "figure" is used in the Trionfi-document one year later.
14 figure - we were in search for a further proof of the 5x14-deck.
In the year 1457 the following document appears in Ferrara:
"Maestro Gerardo di Andrea da Vicenza, painter, having the 21st day of July, for his making and expense in fine gold, coloured, for having painted two packs of big triumph cards, which are 70 cards per deck, covered thickly with gold, and made entirely of colours fine and rich, and painted on the reverse one pack red, one pack green. The which had Piedro de Schiveto for the use of the Lord; the which said [Gerardo] asked 8 ducats per pack, at 56 soldi per ducat, totalling 22 lire, 8 soldi; and Galeotto the tax 28 lire. Subracting 2 soldi per lira, which is 2, 16 soldi; remains to his credit … L. 25. 4."
It clearly talks of 70 cards, not of 78, and this it does 16 years after the document of 1441.
The Pierpont-Morgan-Bergamo Tarocchi only knows 14 trumps painted by Bembo, the other 6 existing trumps are painted by a second unknown artist, probably some years later.
The document of 1441 doesn't talk of Trionfi cards - why should it, we've no evidence of a use for this name before 1442.
The scene of 1441 might be the "scene of invention of a new kind of deck". It even doesn't state "playing cards". Perhaps they were just creating the deck, perhaps they started with big pictures, fighting with the choice of the "correct" motifs.
Happy new year.
Lothar
For reference:
http://trionfi.com/01/e/r71/
menu points: "Figure"
"document 1"
"document 16"
http://trionfi.com/01/f/
***************************
forwarded by Huck