Eggplants?

OK, now that the heavens have opened up and I can say that I CAN LEARN MARSEILLE (!) I'm gonna really be pestering you poor ppl like mad.
I am seeing these strange shaped flower-like things, notable example on the Hadar 5 of Cups, at the top...it kinda looks like an eggplant! I've found meanings of flower, leaves, buds seem kinda obvious but what would these eggplanty things symbolize? I'm sure the fact that it's at the top is significant.

Flowering plants have various stages in their development...

As an example, take the 'simple' Dog Rose - I choose this as a very important symbolic plant, by the way.

Not only does it have leaf, but it has a further development of the same in the bud, which then becomes flower, and then drops to reveal its seed-pod, the rosehip, in which is contained abundance of seed for a further generation of plants. In some ways, it can be viewed that the whole plant is contained in each and everyone of those seeds.

Not only leaves, then, but vine/branch, flower, and fruit...

Ahhh...makes sense! Thanks, jmd!

I keep getting this card in readings for myself, and frustrated by the eggplant - I mean, jmd, I totally see what you're saying but for some reason it nags at me that this specific fruit may have its very own symbology. It took several tries but I finally was able to dig up on Google that the eggplant is associated with mourning. Once again the iconogrpahy validates the suit + number meanings...coincidence? Hm...

I just wanted to add this, in case anyone else was nagged by the eggplant, too.

Possible on early 'Marseille' images

Poppy Bulb Image

Clare Leighton (British-Am., 1901-1988) Woodcut Drawings

The poppy was sacred to Demeter, a flower that grew tall and bright in
the wheat-fields. "Nikippe, whom the city had appointed to be Demeter's
public priestess, and in her hand she grasped her fillets and her poppy,
and from her shoulder hung her key as priestess. "

Callimachus Hymn 6 to Demeter

On the issue of poppies ...

For what it's worth (as it's only just one person's view), Marteau said that the 3 of Cups showed a poppy.

I see them as being different things depending on the reading.

They could be buds, fruit, pinapples, eggplants, coconuts or whatever.

Within the question and reading it could be a bud and therefore mean, for example, a new beginning, inspiration, start of something etc. Or, a seed pod meanng for example an ending, finish, completion etc. Or any stage in between.

The Marseille lends itself to many interpretations - in my opinion.

The botany of Marseilles pips

I second what Moonbow* says. The botany of the Marseilles pips doesn't follow the botany of real-life plants. In the botany of real-life plants, a cut plant is dead. Yet, in the botany of the Marseilles pips, a branch and leaves can still be living even if not connected to the rest of a 'plant'. As well, the way that the botanical parts of a Marseilles plant are assembled doesn't always follow the botany of real-life plants. Thus, for example, in the botany of Marseilles pips, there's no reason why an eggplant or a poppy can't be connected to another kind of botanic form to constitute an integrated whole, whereas such an integration wouldn't be possible in the case of real-life plants (except without some very cutting-edge botano-genetic engineering).

Nonetheless, the botany of real-life plants can give us some ideas for interpretative principles which we can use (or not use) in Marseilles pip card interpretation, as and when we see those interpretive principles to be suitable and meaningful.

I have searched in vain in the public library for non-tarot books (e.g., art history books) and on the Internet for non-tarot webpages, that explain 17th-18th century artwork plant symbolism. If anybody has any leads, it sure would be appreciated.

What I've done in the past, especially when learning the Old English deck, is just Google. Sometimes it takes several tries to find the right combination of words for it turn up, for example, what do eggplants symbolize, I had to remove the whole Medieval art phrases that I would usually use. To me the thing on the 5 of cups looks like a very blue eggplant, but I can see some resemblance to the poppy too. http://www.andyco.com/assets/rd_gifs/eggplant.jpg
or http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/horticulture/graphics/eggpl.gif.
I got a couple of books on the Luttrell Psalter when I studied the Old English, but neither were as helpful as just Googling!

beauty may be in the eye of the beholder...

Shalott said:

To me the thing on the 5 of cups looks like a very blue eggplant...
http://www.andyco.com/assets/rd_gifs/eggplant.jpg

Click to expand...

...but the Nose knows!