Hi Abrac!
The words in Kaplan are odd.
Page 25 Vol II
The Pierpont Morgan-Bergamo Tarrochi pack contains seventy-four extant cards. Two traditional Major Arcana cards are not in the deck and two Minor Arcana are lost. The four cards lacking are........
But when Kaplan speaks about the Devil and the Tower card he says.....
....The reason that the two cards are not included in the Visconti and Visconti- Sforza groups is not known.
Then he goes on to give various explanations as to why maybe they are not there. None of these have my heart as to the truth except that to the Sforza/ Visconti families a Tower was the symbol of their power and lineage. The devil was eternal damnation- No city of God for them! I do not think they were there- therefore. In 11- 15 groups no example has been found. That is a pretty good idea given the different sizes and families that owned them. They absolutely would not have been destroyed- they were expensive.
Might have been hidden though. Like some so called 'Papist' icons- in the reforming times ahead. Number one thing is that they are 'celebration' decks apparently- given as gifts- I would imagine the two cards not very positive for that.
It is true that the Il Meneghello versions are not exciting
- but they are accurate and in proportion to the rest of the deck. None of the cards that are replacements are like Bembo's work. I think they are the nearest in idea, as you say.
Interesting though!
~Rosanne
PS> It has crossed my mind that if children played with them - some little boys might have taken them as trophies- they would appeal- but in all of the groups that seems unlikely.