Ross G Caldwell
I was looking for the source for the story that Francesco Sforza refused a triumphal car for his official entry into possession of Milan on March 25, 1450, in Burckhardt, when I literally chanced upon a picture of something else I've been collecting information on, the astrological cycle of frescoes in the Palazzo della Ragione (aka "Il Salone") in Padova (Padua), Italy.
Most English translations of Burckhardt on the internet don't have his copious annotations, nor illustrations, so you have to use a German edition - I found this one -
http://www.archive.org/details/diekulturderrena00burcuoft
This helped me find the quote I needed (from endnote 829). The edition is undated, but I would say it is around 1910.
The illustrations grouped together at the end of the book are partly photographs, and partly artists' impressions, as you can see. The one from the Salone (figure 185, page 532 in the book, and 544 in the PDF reader) is evidently a gouache interpretation of the section for Aries and Mars. Apparently each section is something like the Schifanoia months, with the Planets and Gods associated with each subsection, along with the 360 individual degrees as described by Pietro d'Abano (similar to Angelus's work where I found the Victor Belli). They were originally painted by Giotto, but the building was badly damaged by a fire in 1420, although it was immediately repainted. Amazingly, the whole cycle has survived to this day - equally amazingly, there does not seem to be a website which shows very many of the images. What might make this cycle interesting the large scheme of things is that it is perhaps the closest secular fresco cycle near to Tarot's invention, certainly in geographic proximity. Thus the artists will have used many of the same conventions for common subjects.
But what struck me in this image was what looks like a Papessa in the bottom left square. Since it is not a photograph, it is hard to use it scientifically, but if it accurately represents its subject, it does not appear to be a Pope. It should not be a god or mythological figure either because it is on the bottom, "human level" of the cycle.
Even though the facial features of the seated figure are vague, the two standing figures are clearly women in secular clothing. This alone should disqualify the figure from being a Pope in standard iconography. The figure appears to be holding an open book, but whether the left hand his holding anything I can't tell.
My first impression is that it is "The Church" or "The Faith (i.e. The Church)", or that these women may be the three theological virtues. We know Giotto already did one like this, but standing, and unaccompanied. But if it is what it seems to be, then it is the closest thing to the Tarot Papessa I've yet seen.
But, why would this figure be appropriate for Mars? Or, is it some kind of interpretation of unrelated to Mars, Aries or Spring directly, and just one of the Abano figures for the decans or degrees which, Christianized or Western-Europeanized, ultimately derive from Arabic astrology?
If anybody is going to Padova soon, please try to get a better picture.
Most English translations of Burckhardt on the internet don't have his copious annotations, nor illustrations, so you have to use a German edition - I found this one -
http://www.archive.org/details/diekulturderrena00burcuoft
This helped me find the quote I needed (from endnote 829). The edition is undated, but I would say it is around 1910.
The illustrations grouped together at the end of the book are partly photographs, and partly artists' impressions, as you can see. The one from the Salone (figure 185, page 532 in the book, and 544 in the PDF reader) is evidently a gouache interpretation of the section for Aries and Mars. Apparently each section is something like the Schifanoia months, with the Planets and Gods associated with each subsection, along with the 360 individual degrees as described by Pietro d'Abano (similar to Angelus's work where I found the Victor Belli). They were originally painted by Giotto, but the building was badly damaged by a fire in 1420, although it was immediately repainted. Amazingly, the whole cycle has survived to this day - equally amazingly, there does not seem to be a website which shows very many of the images. What might make this cycle interesting the large scheme of things is that it is perhaps the closest secular fresco cycle near to Tarot's invention, certainly in geographic proximity. Thus the artists will have used many of the same conventions for common subjects.
But what struck me in this image was what looks like a Papessa in the bottom left square. Since it is not a photograph, it is hard to use it scientifically, but if it accurately represents its subject, it does not appear to be a Pope. It should not be a god or mythological figure either because it is on the bottom, "human level" of the cycle.
Even though the facial features of the seated figure are vague, the two standing figures are clearly women in secular clothing. This alone should disqualify the figure from being a Pope in standard iconography. The figure appears to be holding an open book, but whether the left hand his holding anything I can't tell.
My first impression is that it is "The Church" or "The Faith (i.e. The Church)", or that these women may be the three theological virtues. We know Giotto already did one like this, but standing, and unaccompanied. But if it is what it seems to be, then it is the closest thing to the Tarot Papessa I've yet seen.
But, why would this figure be appropriate for Mars? Or, is it some kind of interpretation of unrelated to Mars, Aries or Spring directly, and just one of the Abano figures for the decans or degrees which, Christianized or Western-Europeanized, ultimately derive from Arabic astrology?
If anybody is going to Padova soon, please try to get a better picture.