Rosanne
http://www.tarot-history.com/Jean-Noblet/pages/le-monde.html
This as you can tell is the Noblet and I am interested in the wreathe around the central figure.
I have been investigating for sometime- the Velvet and silk patterns from Milan.
Three patterns are paramount- they are the Quince, the Monticelli or Artichoke and the Sempervivum or House Leek/Hen and Chicks.
Usually for wreathes, you have in Italy- Laurel, Olive and mixed evergreens- sometimes wheat. Oak is most recognised in England and France.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sempervivum
On the Visconti Sforza cards- the Sempervivum is finely etched in gold on the grass where it appears on the cards. The clearest is on the Lovers card for example.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/theheartindifferentkeys/sets/72157605988175130/
The Motto mentioned above 'Mit Zeit'- in time- is commonly seen with the Artichoke around Milan.The Artichoke is considered in emblematic terms an 'evergreen'
“Mit Zeit”, col tempo - ammonisce il motto – sarà possibile vedere quali frutti darà l’operato di Francesco ed esprimere un giudizio.
(Mit Zeit- In Time- you can see what fruits will give the work of Francesco and Judge.)
Here is the emblem from the emblem book by Georgette de Monteray
http://www.emblems.arts.gla.ac.uk/french/emblem.php?id=FMOa009
Basically the words say that without Faith good works are dead.
It is interesting to me, that the Noblet and other Tdm-ish cards have a Sforza device.
The Cary-Yale handpainted cards do not show the Sempervivum at all- only the PMB.
I think this gives another view of what the cards mean and I would be interested in other peoples view. In looking at Islamic florals- the sempervivum also appears.
~Rosanne
This as you can tell is the Noblet and I am interested in the wreathe around the central figure.
I have been investigating for sometime- the Velvet and silk patterns from Milan.
Three patterns are paramount- they are the Quince, the Monticelli or Artichoke and the Sempervivum or House Leek/Hen and Chicks.
Usually for wreathes, you have in Italy- Laurel, Olive and mixed evergreens- sometimes wheat. Oak is most recognised in England and France.
here is the Wikipedia article on Sempervivum and the picture on the right of the article- convinces me that the wreathe around the World card is Sempervivum- the Sforza device.Probably produced in Milan in the late 15th or early 16th century, this velvet has a pattern that can be identified as the sempervivum tectorum, a perennial plant that thrives in barren and mountainous places. Francesco Sforza (1401-66) adopted it as his heraldic device along with the motto Mit Zeit (with time). He may have been referring to his endurance and perseverance in obtaining his political position. During his reign (1450-66) the plant was represented only by the large central flower, isolated from stems and leaves and repeated across the width of the fabric three times. The motif evolved over the following twenty years into a more naturalistic version, such as is seen on this velvet.
This pattern on an even richer, gold brocaded velvet is represented on the stomacher and sleeve of a gown worn by Bianca Maria Sforza in a potrait by De Predis. This portrait was made to commemorate her marriage to Maximilian of Austria in 1493. In this context, the pattern probably referred directly to the dynasty from which she came.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sempervivum
On the Visconti Sforza cards- the Sempervivum is finely etched in gold on the grass where it appears on the cards. The clearest is on the Lovers card for example.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/theheartindifferentkeys/sets/72157605988175130/
The Motto mentioned above 'Mit Zeit'- in time- is commonly seen with the Artichoke around Milan.The Artichoke is considered in emblematic terms an 'evergreen'
“Mit Zeit”, col tempo - ammonisce il motto – sarà possibile vedere quali frutti darà l’operato di Francesco ed esprimere un giudizio.
(Mit Zeit- In Time- you can see what fruits will give the work of Francesco and Judge.)
Here is the emblem from the emblem book by Georgette de Monteray
http://www.emblems.arts.gla.ac.uk/french/emblem.php?id=FMOa009
Basically the words say that without Faith good works are dead.
It is interesting to me, that the Noblet and other Tdm-ish cards have a Sforza device.
The Cary-Yale handpainted cards do not show the Sempervivum at all- only the PMB.
I think this gives another view of what the cards mean and I would be interested in other peoples view. In looking at Islamic florals- the sempervivum also appears.
~Rosanne