Rejected Aeon?

Aeon418

Question: Is the Aeon card published in the current editions of the Thoth deck and The Book of Thoth the original card chosen for the deck?

This may or may not be true so I am hoping that someone with a copy of the 1944 (very unlikey) or 1969 edition of The Book of Thoth can confirm or deny that the Aeon card printed in those two books is different from the Aeon that was published in later reprints.

What I have heard is that the Aeon that was originally published in the 1944/1969 Book of Thoth does not feature the child Hoor-paar-kraat (Harpocrates), the ghostly looking child holding his finger to his lips. Crowley does not mention him being on the card in his commentary, and neither does Harris in her exhibition catalogues.

It is interesting that in the plate section of the 1974 edition and onwards the one card that has a different frame from all the rest is the Aeon! Was the original painting damaged? Or is it missing? Did Grady McMurtry arrange for a rejected version to be photographed that was included in the deck and replaced the original in the book, hence the different frame?
 

Aeon418

Extract from a Caduceus Books catalogue Jun 2006, listing a set of black and white prints of the Thoth Tarot paintings (and multiple reject cards!) made for Gerald Yorke in 1951.
The Aeon, Variant form of card not having the image of Harpocrates and accordingly one can see the image of Horus and the star systems in the belly of Nuit far clearer. Remarkably it was this version that appeared in the 1st Edition of the Book of Thoth and the 1969 reprint by Weisers. Subsequent editions and the modern packs employ what presumably was a rejected image, perhaps the original painting not being available to copy. Given that this, the original chosen image of the Aeon card, has only ever been reproduced in monotone this item is the best possible image of the picture that one could ever hope to obtain. Each photo is supplied with a numbered facsimile of the original invoice to Gerald Yorke for the making up on prints from negatives supplied. Order No. YP-084 #200
 

Abrac

I have the Lancer Books edition. It doesn't have a date, but on the back it says "First Time In Papaerback."

Harpocrates is absent on The Aeon picture. That's wild.
 

Aeon418

Thanks Abrac!

I think the Lancer edition is a 1972 bootleg copy of the 1969 Weiser edition. That would explain why the original Aeon card is still present.

Abrac, does the frame around the Aeon card match the other frames in the plates section? The later Weiser editions feature an Aeon card that stands out from the others because of it's different frame. I suspect that your Aeon card will have a frame that matches the rest.
 

gregory

I have several Thoths, including the "original" Weiser one from 1969 or thereabouts, and in all (and in my book which claims (clearly untruthfully !) to be a copy of the 1944 edition reprinted) the child is present.

Lillie probably knows more about this deck than anyone here, I think - you could ask her, though she is off line till January....

Abrac - can you post a scan - sounds fascinating !
 

Aeon418

An alternative explanation?

The original black and white photo was so poor and washed-out that the image of Harpocrates became practically invisible. In later editions of the book a new photo of the card, with better contrast, was substituted for the original photo. This might explain why a different frame was used.
 

gregory

That makes a lot of sense; and the book seems to mention him, as I recall....
 

Abrac

gregory-

I don't have uploading privileges, but I would be happy to send a picture to someone who does, so it can be posted. Just send me a PM.

Aeon418-

The plates in the book are old and faded. It's difficult to see much of the detail of the frames, but from what I can tell, the Aeon frame looks pretty much like the others, as you said.
 

Lillie

gregory said:
Lillie probably knows more about this deck than anyone here, I think - you could ask her, though she is off line till January....

Turns out we have a little time left, so I'm here today, for a little while.

As for how much I know, the answer seems to be very little, as this is the first I have heard of this, and I do have a copy of the card in my posession, I just never noticed the fat kid was missing.

In all decks I have the kid is present. This includes the first ed Weiser, and the llewellyn USA.
However, I have a blue Weiser BoT, which dates from 74 (according to the print history at the front)
This has the aeon pictured without the child.
I never even noticed. Though in my own defense it is a very sad book, it had been left on a shelf in the sun before I got it. The spine dried out and cracked and all the pages are dropping out, so why would I look at the black and white fuzzies when I have a nice bright deck to look at...?

Still, curious.

As to which is the right one...
The text is unclear.
It mentions the double nature of the god, Ra hoor pa Kuit, and hor Rat poor cubit (or whatever. The pages have fell out and mixed theselves up on the floor. I really can't be bothered to look up the right names)
Anyway, it gives two names, so perhaps that is what is being shown by the seated god and the standing child.

Other than that, Lillie is in the dark on this one.

Oh yeah.

As it does not seem to be on the Weiser from 69, possibly it would have been on the Sangrall 2 colour tarot, as those pics were taken from the 1944 book.

can someone with the deck check the Llewellyn Hong Kong?
 

gregory

OK - here are Abrac's scans. They look just like the ones in my book - except that in mine the kid is very much there - and the border IS different in mine, while it does look identical in Abrac's. Tough issue here....

But for sure - all the borders in my book are newer than those on my deck; the deck ones (1969) are completely plain (and appear to be in Abrac's scan too.) while in the book they are the ones with pretty tracery etc.

Also even in Abrac's scans the printing on the border of the Aeon card is much clearer than that on the other cards - as is mine.

Roll on January and Lillie.....
 

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