Minchiate - Love

full deck

The card "Love" (V) is an interesting tableaux, quite different from "The Lovers" commonly found in the Marseilles pattern and other decks. Here, the symbology is of a man, kneeling as if pledging his loyalty (hand over heart) and the woman is crowning him, with her love, making him a ruler of sorts. Cupid hovers above, arrow ready to fly.

(this is from the Minchiate Fiorentine)

Minchiate06.jpg


The image seems more a depiction of "The Triumph of Love" theme, one that was made famous by Petrarch (poet) and Annibale Carracci (painter, 1560-1609) in his famous mural "Triumph of Divine Love" (Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne)
(seen below)

triumph_of_love.gif


Notice the inclusion of the same hovering cherubs and of one cherub with crown in hand. The putto were a common theme, being a depiction of the god Eros -- offspring of Venus and Aries. Eros was most commonly depicted as being a winged cherub "putti" Italian), whose presence in a painting was an artistic indication of love at work. His most common attributes were wings and a bow, just as is found in our minchiate version of "Love".

Though one could argue that here -- as in "The Lovers" -- the imagery is about choosing or making a choice, but here, both man and woman surrender or yield to each other, making this a mutual surrender to love itself, love which is only represented in the mutal surrender of two lovers to each other and never in the physical sense, as with Eros. The focus in this card is more upon the surrender and that particular moment in time and not the consequences or results that come of such a union and that sentiment that "loosens limbs and defeats all reason". *

*It's the redneck equivilent of smoking at the gas pump right when it explodes.
 

Moonbow

Ancient Minchiate Etruria

The card shows the man down on one knee with right hand on his heart and his head bowed, and the standing woman is placing a crown on his head. The cupid is about to fire his arrow through the centre of the crown in 'bulls eye' fashion.

It is a pledge of love and devotion and the man's action looks humble but a little chivalrous. If it weren't for the cupid it could well look like the man is being knighted and the devotion would of a different sort.

It is interesting that in Brian Williams Minchiate he has the man with both hands raised as is his head and he is looking directly at the woman, and the book says: "he has both hands raised in expectation and submission to a proud young woman." To me he looks less humble and the love a little more equal.
 

Sophie-David

Ancient Minchiate Etruria: V - Love

Following up on the discussion of Hope it is interesting to compare the kneeling man in that card with his counterpart in the Ancient Minchiate Etruria Love. In Hope the fellow is much more dynamic, looking as if he has just dropped to his knees during the course of his pilgrimage: his facial features and the rich orange and blue clothing give a happier and more optimistic caste to the card, he appears to be bursting into new life.

But in Love, the man is dressed in a sober brown, his face is serious and downcast, his left hand reaches out tentatively, and his right touches his heart. Unlike the release into freedom which Hope seems to promise, Love appears to involve a bondage and servitude, it is a weighty and serious matter. The man is a slave to love, and Love Herself is regal and commanding, perhaps even calculating - for she seems to be lining up the crown carefully with the incoming arrow - and she is dressed in the finest red and purple of royalty. But yet, in humbling himself before her he too becomes a king, and Love perhaps surrenders even her own crown to him. In his willing poverty for Love the lover becomes rich indeed - and the treasure which Love bestows is not easily surpassed.

Where in Hope the man kneels and receives a crown of gold, in Love his crown appears bronzed and earthy - but who can say which crown is of higher value?
 

firecatpickles

Is V. Love the unspoken virtue, then? Is Love the Wisdom of the Fool? This might explain the previously discussed, nonsequential placement of the cardinal "Prudence" in with the Holy Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. It does not follow that Wisdom follows Love. In fact, they seem to work against one another, in that love is illogical and inexplicable.

KK
 

Sophie-David

You ask some deep metaphysical questions, kilts_knave! I would agree that Love is indeed the wisdom of the Fool, although I am not sure that the deck's creators had this in mind.

Of course, instead of Prudence following Love, that is the job of Temperance. Thus Love becomes neither too hot nor too cold, but achieves dynamic balance. In the esoteric interpretation of Temperance, as the fusion of the feminine and masculine principles, the sacred alchemical marriage of soul to spirit, it is most fitting that this union follows the humble submission of the Lover to the Beloved.

Indeed it would seem very odd to have Prudence following after Love, for they seem quite incompatible. The surrender of the Self may be Tempered, but it is by no means Prudent.
 

firecatpickles

As you mention in another thread, V. Love is more akin to Eros, rather than the divine Agape aka XVI. Hope.

This is much different than the VI. Lovers in the standard GD, correct? It seems that VI. La Temperanza is more of the parallel to the VI. Lovers in that both center around the pursuit of consensus (i.e. decision-making processes) rather than actual, physical amore.

Do you often find that there are more numerological associations between Minchi and GD than there are definitive connections?

KK
 

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MystiqueMoonlight

kilts_knave said:
Is V. Love the unspoken virtue, then? Is Love the Wisdom of the Fool? This might explain the previously discussed, nonsequential placement of the cardinal "Prudence" in with the Holy Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. It does not follow that Wisdom follows Love. In fact, they seem to work against one another, in that love is illogical and inexplicable.

KK

Indeed the male figure is the Fool. If you look at the face in card V and the Fool card you will note they are the same.

I have an explanation of this card on my website, but the "cherub" is Cupid and his aim is poised at Fool's head (logic), whilst the crown is that as seen in card II High Priestess (intuition, internal love) and is being offered by perhaps Venus, Cupid's fabled mother? Her love is internal and intuitive as suggested by the High Priestess' crown (hence the association of card II being female).

This card suggests accepting one's inner love combined with logic and forethought. Learn to love yourself before you can love another.
 

firecatpickles

MystiqueMoonlight said:
Learn to love yourself before you can love another.
A facet often ignored.

(Love, then) Temperance is the governance of losing yourself in another whilst at the same time keeping our lover's best interests, not our own, at heart. Difficult to do.

Love's lesson: As the crown, the heart is not inside the head.

KK