le pendu
I was looking at the "Cary Sheet" again today, and pondering its many mysteries. Just some thoughts and questions...
The Cary Sheet (from the Cary Collection of Playing Cards at The Beineche Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University): http://highway55.library.yale.edu/PHOTONEGIMG/zoom/Z361/z3613378.jpg
It's good to open it in another window to compare it to the following posts.
The first thing I notice when looking at the sheet is that the cards have no number or title. Compared to other early decks this isn't too unusual, but when you consider how similar many of these images are to the TdM (Tarot de Marseille) it is notable. With the exception of a few cards found in the Sforza Castle, all other TdM cards have the title and number as far I know of.
What is also striking is that there are a number of cards very similar to the TdM, but there are also several that are distinctly different. Is this a hybrid? Is it a "one off" custom version of a deck? Is it a deck "in transition" between a TdM and a different deck? Even some of the TdM style cards have noticable differences.
We are unsure of the actual date of this sheet, and we are also uncertain of the origin. Historians tend to put it between 1500-1550, and probably from Milan. But neither of these, as far as I know, is confirmed.
Let's take a look at each piece of the sheet.
The Cary Sheet (from the Cary Collection of Playing Cards at The Beineche Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University): http://highway55.library.yale.edu/PHOTONEGIMG/zoom/Z361/z3613378.jpg
It's good to open it in another window to compare it to the following posts.
The first thing I notice when looking at the sheet is that the cards have no number or title. Compared to other early decks this isn't too unusual, but when you consider how similar many of these images are to the TdM (Tarot de Marseille) it is notable. With the exception of a few cards found in the Sforza Castle, all other TdM cards have the title and number as far I know of.
What is also striking is that there are a number of cards very similar to the TdM, but there are also several that are distinctly different. Is this a hybrid? Is it a "one off" custom version of a deck? Is it a deck "in transition" between a TdM and a different deck? Even some of the TdM style cards have noticable differences.
We are unsure of the actual date of this sheet, and we are also uncertain of the origin. Historians tend to put it between 1500-1550, and probably from Milan. But neither of these, as far as I know, is confirmed.
Let's take a look at each piece of the sheet.