Gonzaga and Mantova Documents

Huck

Umberto Padovani and Angelo Milano in IPCS 34/3, p. 205 ff. (2006) report early documents about playing cards in Mantova, mostly in context of the Gonzaga family. The quote is from Stefano L'Occaso in "Fonti archivisti per le arti a Mantova tra Medioevo e Rinascimento (1382-1459)", (2005).

1. A letter written by Francesco Gonzaga (1366-1407), ruler in Mantova, in Gozzolo at 29 October 1388 to Galeazzo de Buzoni.
The document was in part already published in 1921 by Pia Gorilla in "Pittori e miniatori a Mantova ... " in "Atti e memorie della R. Accademia Virgiliana, XI-XIII, 1918-20 (1921), pp. 185-187.
As a note of the authors this document is noted after 3 bans (Florence 1377, Siena 1377, Sicily 1377-1391) and chronicles (Viterbo) as the 5th oldest Italian document. Also it's the first document, which shows playing card interests of Italian nobility. The action is rather near in time to the wedding of Valentina Visconti, from which it is assumed, that Valentia brought a Lombard playing card deck to France. So perhaps this was a time of special interest or playing cards.

1388-1.jpg


1388-2.jpg


2. Inventory at death of Francesco Gonzaga 1407: "ludus cartarum novarum a ludendo, non parvi preci et mirabiliter pictarum" and "par cartarum a ludendo, magnum et antiquatum".

3. A pen drawing at a leather cover of an account book from 1425-27, which shows a figure seated on a throne, with some similarity to a "Queen of Baton"

1425.jpg


5. A paper register containing a will (29 February 1432) and inventory (16 August 1432) of Isabella Gonzaga Malatesta (1463? - 1432) notes "tre gioghi de carte grande" between other things of minor value in a chest.

6. A Trionfi card note of 1465, reported already by Trionfi.com
http://trionfi.com/0/e/29/

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Additionally from my side to the theme Gonzaga:

6. A further Trionfi card note (1484) in connection to the region of Sabbioneta (near Mantova), referenced by Andre Vitali

7. Playing card notes around Isabella d'Este
see here
[url="http://forum.tarothistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=500]see here[/url]

8. The 1512 note of Tarochi cards in a theater play in Mantova and Verona (with involvement of Isabella Gonzaga and cardinal Gurk)
[url="http://forum.tarothistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=500&p=10668&hilit=gurk#p10668]see here[/url]

9. Involvement of the Gonzaga in the Teofilo Folengo production "Triperuno" (with Tarocchi scene)
[url="http://forum.tarothistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=759]see here[/url]

10. Gonzaga participation in the 1559 production of the Tarot de Paris
[url="http://forum.tarothistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=755]see here[/url]

11. Participation of a Gonzaga princess for the first French Tarot rules (1637)
[url="http://forum.tarothistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=611]see here[/url]

12. Some involvement of a Tarot ballet in 1657
[url="http://forum.tarothistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=751]see here[/url]

13 ... there was also something in c. 1437 with teaching cards in the school of Vittorino da Feltre. Andrea Vitali reported this.