Uskglass
Okay, I've been lurking around these forums for quite awhile now, but this is the first time I've actually said anything!
Anyway, I'm working on a paper for college which is roughly about the history of Tarot. It has to be a question rather than an exploration so it's going to be something either about how far Tarot has changed over time, or how standardized it has become, whichever is easier to answer.
I'm 3.5k of words in, roughly, so all of my non-Tarot based historical source research is done (apart from a little bit about Gébelin, and a bit about Waite and modern day Tarot, but an overview is easy enough to write.) But, I'm curious about Marseilles decks, as I can't seem to find much information about their beginnings. (Which, I suspect is because there isn't much information to be found.)
But, were typical Marseilles decks such as the Jean Noblet, and Jean Dodal decks produced individually and commissioned like the Visconti Sforza decks? Or were they produced by card makers who created multiple sets? Do we know? Are the Marseilles decks for a different class of person than the Sforza? (I understand there's a huge time gap between Sforza decks and Noblet.)
Would it be correct to speak of "styles" of Tarot? So, they go from Visconti Sforza style (guilt backgrounds, painted renaissance figures) in cards like the Cary-Yale, Pierpont-Bergamo, and the (non-Sforza) Guildhall Library Tarocchi Cards. And then they move from that to Marseilles decks, Noblet, Dodal, and Carlous Zoya. Except where there's odd "exception" decks like the Rosenwald or Sola Busca decks? (After Marseilles we'd assumedly go to the first decks produced for esoteric purposes, so the multiple Etteillas?)
I think this is probably really scattered and doesn't make a lot of sense, so I'm sorry about that! (I don't have many resources for my research, so this is mostly internet based and a bit from the 1st volume of the Kaplan Tarot Encyclopedia.) I have an easier question for you, if that helps:
In your opinion, was Tarot standardized by 1500?
Because you've got clear examples of "standard" Tarot in the Pierpont-Bergamo Sforza deck, but you've also got weird anomalies like the Cary Yale which has extra cards (plus female "knights") but not enough for a minchiate. There's the Sola Busca tarot, which also has extra cards and just confuses me no end.
Also, you've got this bit of poem from 1460, which gives a description of tarot which seems to be fairly "standard":
Four passions of the soul, milady,
Are forty cards in this game.
The lesser gives place to the worthier,
And their meaning gives them their suit.
Each suit also has four figures,
Each of which I place in the due role,
With twenty and one triumphs; and in the meanest place
Is a fool, because the fool the world adores.
Basically: the history of Tarot is very confusing, and I'm confused about it.
Anyway, I'm working on a paper for college which is roughly about the history of Tarot. It has to be a question rather than an exploration so it's going to be something either about how far Tarot has changed over time, or how standardized it has become, whichever is easier to answer.
I'm 3.5k of words in, roughly, so all of my non-Tarot based historical source research is done (apart from a little bit about Gébelin, and a bit about Waite and modern day Tarot, but an overview is easy enough to write.) But, I'm curious about Marseilles decks, as I can't seem to find much information about their beginnings. (Which, I suspect is because there isn't much information to be found.)
But, were typical Marseilles decks such as the Jean Noblet, and Jean Dodal decks produced individually and commissioned like the Visconti Sforza decks? Or were they produced by card makers who created multiple sets? Do we know? Are the Marseilles decks for a different class of person than the Sforza? (I understand there's a huge time gap between Sforza decks and Noblet.)
Would it be correct to speak of "styles" of Tarot? So, they go from Visconti Sforza style (guilt backgrounds, painted renaissance figures) in cards like the Cary-Yale, Pierpont-Bergamo, and the (non-Sforza) Guildhall Library Tarocchi Cards. And then they move from that to Marseilles decks, Noblet, Dodal, and Carlous Zoya. Except where there's odd "exception" decks like the Rosenwald or Sola Busca decks? (After Marseilles we'd assumedly go to the first decks produced for esoteric purposes, so the multiple Etteillas?)
I think this is probably really scattered and doesn't make a lot of sense, so I'm sorry about that! (I don't have many resources for my research, so this is mostly internet based and a bit from the 1st volume of the Kaplan Tarot Encyclopedia.) I have an easier question for you, if that helps:
In your opinion, was Tarot standardized by 1500?
Because you've got clear examples of "standard" Tarot in the Pierpont-Bergamo Sforza deck, but you've also got weird anomalies like the Cary Yale which has extra cards (plus female "knights") but not enough for a minchiate. There's the Sola Busca tarot, which also has extra cards and just confuses me no end.
Also, you've got this bit of poem from 1460, which gives a description of tarot which seems to be fairly "standard":
Four passions of the soul, milady,
Are forty cards in this game.
The lesser gives place to the worthier,
And their meaning gives them their suit.
Each suit also has four figures,
Each of which I place in the due role,
With twenty and one triumphs; and in the meanest place
Is a fool, because the fool the world adores.
Basically: the history of Tarot is very confusing, and I'm confused about it.