more on valets (I'm obsessing)
Okay, I've finally gone to Webster's to look these words up.
Valet [F. valet, O.F. vallet, varlet, vaslet] A manservant; now, one who attends a man, taking care of his clothes and assisting with his toilet, etc.; a valet de chambre; a body servant.
Page [F., of uncertain origin; cf. It. paggio] 1. A boy; a youth. 2. A man of humble birth or status or of rude manners; a menial;--often contemptuous, sometimes opprobrious. 3. A serving boy in general; specifically, formerly, a youth undergoing training for knighthood, who acted as the personal attendant of his master and mistress, and after seven or eight years of service and instruction became a squire, or a youth attending a person of high degree, esp. at courts, as a service of honor and education . . .
Knave [M.E., boy, servant, knave] 1. A man child; a boy. 2. A boy servant; hence, a male servant or menial; a man of humble birth or position. 3. A tricky, deceitful fellow; an unscrupulous person; a rogue; a rascal. 4. A playing card marked with the figure of a servant or soldier; a jack. Synonyms--cheat, rascal, rogue, scoundrel, miscreant.
(From Webster's New Intl., 1934)
So, it looks to me as though, while these words could all be construed to mean the same thing, page & knave carry connotations of youth that valet does not. Also, knave is much more negative in connotation than page & valet. What our modern associations with these words are may be beside the point; but the issue of youth does seem pertinent. Are these people in training for something better, or is this as good as life gets, for them? Visually, I would say that (in my Hadar deck) Valet/Cups & Valet/Batons look decidedly un-youthful.
If you think that's inconsistent, then check out these titles of Swords court cards from the 1701 Dodal TdM deck:
