Old Mantegna

Abrac

Does anyone know much about the history of the Tarocchi del Mantegna? I've been checking out the various scans and there seems to be quite a variance in styles, age, and quality. These are some that have an engraved "soprafino" look. They're beautiful images. They load a little slow but not too bad.

http://www.spamula.net/blog/i22/tarocchi01.jpg
http://www.spamula.net/blog/i22/tarocchi05.jpg
http://www.spamula.net/blog/i22/tarocchi29.jpg
http://www.spamula.net/blog/i22/tarocchi24.jpg
http://www.spamula.net/blog/i22/tarocchi32.jpg
http://www.spamula.net/blog/i22/tarocchi42.jpg
http://www.spamula.net/blog/i22/tarocchi48.jpg

Then there are these published by Edizioni del Solleone in 1981. They seem to follow the same style as those above but look like an updated version.

http://www.tarotgarden.com/database/images/m-decks/mantegnasolleonecards.gif

And lastly these published by Il Meneghello in 1988.

http://www.spiritone.com/~filipas/Masquerade/Reviews/mantegna.jpg

I would love to learn as much as I can about this deck, especially the older ones at the top of the list. If anyone has a website, or any information on the different Mantegna decks that they're willing to share it would be tremendously aprreciated. I've found a lot of sites that talk about Mantegna in a general way but can't find much on the different decks.

fools_fool
 

Abrac

Well, I found a site that has all of those old engravings. They are from Cologne ca. 1550 (it helps when you read the information :)). These are really old. Thanks for the info on the Scarabeo deck Lee. I'm starting to think about just getting one of those. Everyone says they're a lot more attractive than the scans show.

Here's the link to those engravings if anyone's interested:

http://trionfi.com/01/j/mant/

fools_fool
 

Huck

Here you find also some Mantegna pictures from Albert Duerer for comparition (said - with insecurities - to be of 1495 and 1505) together with the Cologne version of Ladenspelder.

http://trionfi.com/0/j/d/Mantegna/

The genesis of the Mantegna Tarocchi is discussed at

http://trionfi.com/0/gg/ ... (the article defines itself as "in development)

The conventional estimation for the date of the Mantegna-Tarocchi is "about 1465". This opinion was manifested by Arthur M. Hind in 1938 on the consideration of appearances of some Mantegna motifs, which have the the dating 1467/68.

However, this is only an opinion. We doubt the logic of it ... a few appearances of some motifs do not prove the existence of the whole series.
As alternative we offer the possibility, that the concept of the Mantegna was composed just by using older already known motifs (it was normal custom to copperplate-engravers to use older motifs). In this case it is assumable, that the final edition of the first series (there are 2 different: E-series and S-series) took place about 1475, the second possibly 1485.

The argumentation is very complex. ... :) .... it's one of the revolutionary hypotheses of trionfi.com - so not a generally one and long accepted, but we consider it as a correct (and necessary) alternative hypothesis against the other established model. Some researches in this direction seem to strengthen this argumentation. Of importance in this argumentation is the Lazzarelli manuscript, which used 22 of the 50 pictures in "about 1471" (as illuminations, not as copperplate engravings. For certain reasons we see Lazzarelli (later a "magician") in an unclear way involved in the "final composition" of the complete series. Lazzarelli found "his motifs" in a Venetian bookstore, which likely offered various art material from different artists (totally unclear, if this were engravings or other miniatures - we've no access to the document, which offered this information).

The later copperplate engraver just had to copy them - likely something he was used to.
Hind himself expresses the opinion, that the style of the engraver of a Ptemolaios work in Rome produced in the year 1478 would be so similar, that one might see the engraver of the series in it. What, as it seems, Hind didn't know, is, that the engraver of this in German art research was already identified. Sweynheim or Pannartz, the both early book printers in Rome, are assumed to have done the work (Sweynheim would be more likely).

The presence of Lazzarelli in Rome is proven. He was well known and honoured in the Accademia Romana. In a 1493 woodcut version (planned to serve as illustrations in a book production, which never realised) by Wolgemut (master and teacher of Duerer) the project was called "Roman triumphs".
There is evidence, that the Mantegna Tarocchi was very popular especially in Germany (which can't be said of any other Tarocchi cards). From this the participation of a German copperplate engraver is likely. As copperplate-engraving was a technique, for which generally German and Flemish artists are famous (more famous than Italian artists), it's also not surprizing, that it was a German. As the motifs and the whole theme is obviously Italian ... the solution "a German in Italy" makes sense.

Sweynheim ... who is more suspectable than Pannartz in this matter ...was as Pannartz book printer. But book printings needed here and there also illustrations. It is not unusual, that he could also work out some engraving. Well ... naturally there is the possibility, that they both had jobs for a 3rd unknown artist, who did the engraving work for them

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Murray Menzies helds the opinion, based on own iconographical researches, that the Mantegna Tarocchi was made by Angelo Parrasio, working in Ferrara till 1456. An outsider opinion, based on a statement of Kenneth Clarke in 1933 ... but it's worth to take a look on his website.

http://murray-menzies.com/

Counter arguments to this early dating:

1. Copperplate engraving hadn't in this early time not the perfection of later dates.
2. The work of Angelo Parrasio is very unclear. He is not noted as copperplate engraver.
3. Missing of early parallels in other art production, which appear variously since 1467.

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Unluckily we cannot offer the original E-series and S-series in the moment.
Stuart Kaplan in Tarot Encyclopedia I offers a longer article with most of the pictures (a little unsatisfying presentation of the pictures). The Cologne Ladenspelder version is near to the E-series.

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One should know and realise, that there are more Mantegna Tarocchi documents (complete or fragmented series and side documents of similar character and motifs) still extant than of all other 15th century Tarot documents together. There is evidence, that this series was really very popular - and really successful. Quite different to luxury decks for court ladies, which determine our main knowledge about 15th century Tarot.
But a use as playing cards is unknown - some were bound together in book form.
We assume, that it was a common Rome-tourist (for pilgrims to the jubilee 1475) article, possibly sold as single engravings or as series.

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:) Actually this theme should be in the History Forum.