Mantegna Deck (merged threads)

Cerulean

1321 was after Dante and his Divine Comedy set a sort of celestial map for thinkers and writers and artists. His second volume, Purgatory, in the last verses, showed a heavenly triumph parade where the four cardinal virtues as lovely ladies accompanied the celestial cart pulled by a griffon.
Inbetween the next examples was the Petrach's 1350 Triumph poems, after the grim Black Death plagues of 1347 and 1348. Petrach's triumph series does show a vernacular attempt to solve moral questions--his poem was about seeing triumph floats of love, chastity,death, fame, time and eternity. I found this information from the Cambridge History of Italian Literature. In the lit books that I've looked through, this vernacular poem isn't considered Petrach's greatest work.
Italy has a lot of documentation through their census, taxation history, literature, art and the Vatican archives. Still, to reseach about their gaming cards and culture takes awhile for me--I read translation or just pick up words here and there in poetic formats.
Dante's Paradiso map the heavenly spheres in a way you find mirrored in the later Mantegna cards of the mid-to-late 1400s in Fererra...and also a near cousin, in the Cary-Yale Visconti cards, the four cardinal virtues are also referenced. The Sforza-Visconti and D'Este clans throughout the 1400s had alliances, marriages and so I can see relationships between these cards. There are are also documented examples of triumph poetry and courtly schools of art that look like the cards produced in Fererra (Tura, Mantegna) and Milan (Bembo). Now the above examples came from a year or so, off and on, as I took my Dante and Renaissance classes.
I'm copying a bit of this to go with the Mantegna thread---I don't know that this is helpful to French researchers.
Mari Hoshizaki
 

catlin

Yay, the Mantegna which is here available is indeed the silver foil edition and with 23 € it is still ok. All cards were fine with no misprints so the deck still rests in the book store ready to pick up when I will get my gift certificate (or a bunch of querents ;)
 

Pollux

Just some clarifications... They say one should share!

Mari_Hoshizaki said:
1321 was after Dante and his Divine Comedy set a sort of celestial map for thinkers and writers and artists. His second volume, Purgatory, in the last verses, showed a heavenly triumph parade where the four cardinal virtues as lovely ladies accompanied the celestial cart pulled by a griffon.
Well, that view of the Heavens is not Dante's doing.
Dante simply synthetized the Patristic/Scolastic view developed through centuries of philosophical discussion from the rise of Chrisitanity through Middle Ages, and that reached him. I should go back and pick my high school book - the best source I coudl possbiyl get, and then they complain about High school teachers... - but I don't remember where I could find the specific info.
Anyway, there was specifically a earlier writer than Dante who gave the basis of that structure, and more than that - like the inclusion of Angels, their hierarchy and the Planets associated to each sphere of the Heaven - and that claimed he had been revelaed those in a vision he had had. At the moment the name that comes to my mind as most likely is "Diogene" - but just try to guess how many Middle Ages scholars were named that way.

Secondly, not only the four cardinal virtues are in the parade (Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance, Justice, all detectable in the Arcanas as XI Strength, XIV Temperance and VIII Justice, but Prudence that some associate to the Wheel I hear). The trimphant parade includes lots of others mythological animals, and a chariot (;)) as well - but also the three THEOLOGICAL virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity. They are three gentle ladies, dressed respectively of White, Green and Red.

Mari_Hoshizaki said:
I found this information from the Cambridge History of Italian Literature. In the lit books that I've looked through, this vernacular poem isn't considered Petrach's greatest work.
Petrarch was mostly a LATIN write. He was the most erudite Latin wrter of his times, and won for many years and consequently a prize for Latin Composition of Petry or Letters (Carmina) that was awarded in Amsterdam, Rotterdam... Well, I don't remember exactly where, but it surely was in the Nederlands.
He wrote lots of vernacular literature, but he is not "celebrated" for those, and this due to his very own behaviour as well. He was not so proud of his vernacular works, and always preferred Latin Erudite ones. What is more, despite the potential receptiveness of a vernacular work at the time instead of erudite latin compositions, normal people were not that fond of literature and reading, and it mainly was a thing worked out among scholars and literates, that used to communicate in Latin (as we know do, and I myself am doind right NOW *LOL* in Ensligh).

His vernacular works are my favorite anyway, and his sonnets are of unequalled touch and beauty...
I have more info about the Triumphs in particular. Contact me in case.
 

Cerulean

I love it when people can go into more detail.
We're starting the Ancient World this week in a three-year study course (I took Renaissance first, but I decided to go back and start from the Ancient sources). I'll probably have questions or feedback that I might be able to summarize quickly as time goes on.
The Mantegna/Fererra aspect is my favorite thread to research at the moment, but I'm certain there's tons more as I learn more about Western Civ., Art and Humanities
Best,
Mari H.
 

Lloyd

I like the print ones.. the yellowish-brownish looking ones. They seem more original than the silver ones. but both are pretty.

The 50 card is always saying that it is the archetype foundation of the tarot blah blah blah.. but I mean... I have looked at each of the cards and compared them to the Italian visconti's.... EVEN the Gringonneur deck of 1392 famed after King Charles's guy... still... I don't see any relationship whatsoever nor any similarities.

It's just bunch of occult prints focused on society's hierarchy.

Simple.
 

Cerulean

For historical art/Milan & Fererra

1. Pinacoteca di Brera, where two years ago the tarocchi card show was---I didn't see any tarot art, but Boniface Bembo's paintings did come up: this virtual tour has you going room by room to see historic Italian painting.

http://www.brera.beniculturali.it/gallery/virtualt.php

2. For Fererra paintings of the period:
Allegories of months, Fererra, circa 1470s

http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/c/cossa/schifano/1march/index.html

The style of the paintings was to glorify Duke Borso, after the family was elevated by the Papal nomination and a rather well-run period of prosperity for the area. However, the astrological inserts by months and allegorical aspects of the Greco-Roman gods or goddesses also show you what was typical in the art of the time and place.
 

Owlface

Silver Mantegna

I've just received this in the post and have been admiring it-it really is sumptuous with the silver foil. And I've just been reading this thread, which has helped me understand a bit more about it. Thank you to everyone for your contributions.

I'm particularly taken with the 9 Muse cards-excellent for exploring creativity issues.

And the whole Renaissance "feel" to the deck is just great.