WolfyJames
Vargo's cards were based on earlier works, you can see some of them on his website. This card is called Threshshold.
A vampire, wearing a black cloak, holds in his arm his latest victime, a young woman dressed in white. Behind him are stairs he just went down, and above him, an arch with ten pentacles engraved on it. A bat is at the top center of the arch.
How long has he been hunting down his victim? For how long has she been evading him? Finally, after a restless hunt, he got her and becomes victorious.
We notice that he passed under the arch with the woman in his arms. Arches were a sign of victory, and when someone had won a war, or conquered new lands, he was passing under an arch to show his suprematie to the others, this was also to ensure that his suprematie would last for long. The Arch of Triumph, in France, is an excellent exemple of this very old tradition. Another old tradition related to arches, was that a newlywed couple, the man holding his wife in his arms (showed exactly on the Ten of Pentacles), would pass under the couple's door (arch) in this position, to ensure the success and longevity of the newlywed couple. It seems obvious to me that the vampire on this card passes under the arch, holding his victim (or newlywed wife) as a sign of victory and lastingness.
A vampire, wearing a black cloak, holds in his arm his latest victime, a young woman dressed in white. Behind him are stairs he just went down, and above him, an arch with ten pentacles engraved on it. A bat is at the top center of the arch.
How long has he been hunting down his victim? For how long has she been evading him? Finally, after a restless hunt, he got her and becomes victorious.
We notice that he passed under the arch with the woman in his arms. Arches were a sign of victory, and when someone had won a war, or conquered new lands, he was passing under an arch to show his suprematie to the others, this was also to ensure that his suprematie would last for long. The Arch of Triumph, in France, is an excellent exemple of this very old tradition. Another old tradition related to arches, was that a newlywed couple, the man holding his wife in his arms (showed exactly on the Ten of Pentacles), would pass under the couple's door (arch) in this position, to ensure the success and longevity of the newlywed couple. It seems obvious to me that the vampire on this card passes under the arch, holding his victim (or newlywed wife) as a sign of victory and lastingness.