Huck -
Your last post is really several topics in one. I get it now that the Chaos card comes from the 1660 or 1730 Poilly I or II Minchiati Franchesi decks. Important find!
The 2nd part of your post should really be written up as an article. It definitely gives a whole different feeling to the development of the Tarot and the Belgian designs and puts it all in such an important historical context. Thank you for the maps. We tend to forget how Europe was divided up into different territories with rulerships that changed with great regularity - and how terms like 'Emperor' and 'Empress' could be so politically charged - to the point that all Tarot decks might be thrown out by their owners and so the game would disappear for a period. Also, it makes sense that when Italian queens were on the French throne there might be an upsurge in playing the game of Tarot.
Please do a more formal article on this! I really appreciate the way you make us aware of the historical and political underpinnings.
Thanks, Mary ...
Well, when I saw just the mere fact, that Chaos appeared in the Minchiate Francesi (at first place), and I realized, that the same first place was given to it by Etteilla, I more or less understood, that THIS couldn't be accident. Etteilla should have known the Poilly deck experiment ... well, Etteilla worked some time as an engraving trader in Strasbourg and we know, that Strasbourg was home of some contemporary Tarot decks.
With the Poilly deck we have know, that it is rare ... there seem to be not very much findings. "Rare" means usually "not distributed in high numbers", which occasionally means "too expensive for the common market". Or "exotic" for other reasons.
Now there seems to be evidence, that the Poilly family distributed versions in a period of at least c. 100 years. The later Poilly generations naturally were the heirs of their more accepted ancestors, which were great men at the court of Louis XIV and this development started in the 1650s.
For various reasons it has to be assumed, that the deck was from the earlier Francois Poilly ... I talked about it in the Poilly thread.
http://tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=170889
Poilly likely worked on the graphic made for the Ovid "Metamorphoses" edition of Marolles, 1655. The Ovid edition started with "Chaos" ... cause Ovid told this story at the begin. From this Poilly took "Chaos" at the begin of his Minchiate.
Marolles is not a "nobody" in matters of Tarot. Already his father played Tarot, Marolles describes himself as "not so enthusiastic" about the game (1657, in his autobiography). But he describes a scene, in which a Gonzaga-Nevers princess gave him the commission to write something about the Tarot rules, and this in the sense, that these rules would be better than those played elsewhere. As I understood it, these rules were published also 1655, but the "commission" was given in the year 1637. These are running as "the first written rules of Tarot", although there are some indications, that also earlier some information was given by others.
In his autobiography 1657 (which contains the information about his Tarot playing father and the activities of the Gonzaga Nevers princess) I found the description of a ballet, and in the description Tarot cards have a fight with usual French playing cards
!!!!!!. And the usual playing cards take the better part of it.
Well, it's not clear if this ballet proposal of Marolles ever became a real ballet (as I understand it). It seems to have been just a "suggestion".
Depaulis should have seen this text (the autobiography), but I didn't found any note about the ballet from him (though I really can't say, that I've read all and everything from him).
I assume (for the moment), that this ballet was overlooked.
I wrote about it ...
Tarot Ballet of Marolles (1657)
and
=11]here
and here ...
http://tarotforum.net/search.php?searchid=3528333
Well ... it's a crucial element, as it somehow presents evidence of an antipathy against Tarot cards at the French court in the time, when the young King Louis XIV prepared to become a ruling monarch. What Depaulis and Dummett found and reported is the negative mirror, that Tarot cards seem to disappear as a popular game around 1660.
Well, Marolles became a further factor, cause he was an engraving collector. He later sold his collection to the French king and it became the basis for a royal collection, which later became a very important public collection, which included - as a rather special part - also the Vievil deck and the Noblet. Probability seems to indicate, that these were already part of the Marolles collection, so likely we have to assume, that ... without Marolles we wouldn't know about the Vievil and Noblet.
Il est connu surtout pour avoir constitué un fonds de 123 000 estampes, dont une grande partie fut achetée en 1667 par Colbert pour Louis XIV contre la somme de 28 000 livres. Cette acquisition peut être considérée comme l'acte de naissance du Cabinet des estampes de la Bibliothèque royale, qui ne verra le jour administrativement qu'en 1720.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_de_Marolles
Here's a part of a 19th century catalog
Question about 19th century catalog /bibliotheque nationale
It has the interesting question, who was "Jean Hemau" and where is the Tarot deck, that Jean Hemau had in this collection. ... but that's a byway question.
More central is the figure of the Gonzaga-Nevers princess, who urged, that Marolles wrote the Tarot rules. A little later then 1637 she became twice "Queen of Poland" by two king-husbands. She brought a little girl to Poland (of not clear descend), which later married another king of Poland, who became a great hero, when he saved Vienna against the Osmans.
She descended from Ludovico Gonzaga, duke of Nevers-Rethel since 1565, who in 1559 (then young commander in the French army, 20 years old) likely had a lot of influence on the production of the Tarot de Paris. His heraldic is found at the 2 of coins, beside the heraldic of the Strozzi family, which should refer to the 18-years-old Philippe Strozzi.
The two of coins often contained the name of the producer. Ludovico Gonzaga appeared around 1557 in France (the production year of the Catelyn Geofroy deck), other heraldic in the deck refers to the French king Henry II (died 1559, husband of Catherina de Medici) and his lover Diane de Poitiers, who fell in disgrace in 1559. Cause of this it seems rather unlikely, that the original deck was produced after 1559. Well ... it might be, that the surviving "Tarot de Paris" in the Paris collection is a remake of a later date, but this part of the deck (the coin suit) was with high probability arranged in 1559 (a year with peace celebrations after the end of the war between Habsburg and France). The French king died in June 1559, after he was mortally hurt in a joust tournament.
More to this
The accident became part of Nostradamus' predictions.
And Lodovico Gonzaga descended from Isabella d'Este, whose motto "nec spe nec metu" appears at some Tarocchi cards. Isabella d'Este, wife of the Gonzaga ruler in Mantova, collected - beside many other art - also beautiful playing cards, which she gathered in her secretary desk in her famous studiolo. And she came from the Este court in Ferrara, which apparently was a dominant center of Tarocchi production. We've (thanks to Depaulis) a report of an activity, in which a playing card trader sold his business in Rome (curiously just in 1559) and in the sold collection "Tarocchi decks from Ferrara" play a dominant role. Inside the collection are also playing cards from France. But there are no Tarot cards from France ... which likely says, that French Tarot productions (if they REALLY existed) had at this time no market in Italy.
The natural story is likely, that some Italian persons, who went from Italy to France and started to live there, were the active parts in the distribution of the Tarocchi culture from Italy to France. As playing cards were part of political propaganda, filled with heraldic and other signs of the own nations (or the rulers of these "states") neither in France or German these Italian products were very welcome.
In other words: a French flag might sell very well in France, but rather obviously less well in Germany or Italy. And vice versa. Similar with playing cards.
The Mantegna Tarocchi - which were NOT playing cards - had been produced (my opinion) c. 1475. They definitely had arrived in 1493 in Germany in great numbers. Still a lot of this graphic is in Germany. NO distribution problem is observed. They took a great influence on the less developed German art. German humanism accepted the Renaissance early.
But Tarocchi cards should have definitely arrived in Germany with Bianca Maria Sforza as new Empress and her broad personal court 1494 with a good part of Italians. This wasn't taken. Germany had a lot of playing card producers themselves. No signs of an impact with greater consequences.
The period of wars between Habsburg and France took place mainly in the first half of 16th century. In this time it was difficult for Tarot cards in France. Sure, Ferrara was French friendly. Florence often was French friendly, but we've no conformation, that this really was enough to establish Tarot in France. It becomes clear with c. 1580, but to get how it happened, one likely has to study the time very deeply.
Some details of this time: There were "Mignons" at the court of Henry III and these had strong influence on the young king. These were reknown for gambling activities. And also for homosexuality. Some of the Mignons arranged a duel of three against three ... the duel is famous as the duel of the Mignons. 4 of the 6 participants died (2 immediately, 2 later), another one had to spend 6 weeks in hospital and the lucky one had only a scratch at his arm.
This is commented in the Wikipedia article:
This meaningless loss of life impressed itself on the public imagination. Jean Passerat wrote an elegy, Plaintes de Cléophon, on the occasion. In the political treatise Le Theatre de France (1580) the duel was invoked as "the day of the pigs" who "killed each other in the precinct of Saint Paul, serving him in the Muscovite manner". Michel Montaigne decried the event as "an image de cowardice", and Pierre Brantôme connected it with the deplorable spread of the Italian and Gascon manners at Henry's court. The incident accelerated the estrangement between the two Henrys.
The interesting part is the note about the increase of Italian customs at the court.
This happened in April 1578. The living brother of Henry III (heir to the throne in the case, that Henry would die) plays also a role ...
The faction of the malcontents, headed by François, duc d'Alençon, created duc d'Anjou in 1576— the presumed heir as long as Henry remained childless— appear to have stirred up the ill will of the Parisians against them.
... so he was against the Mignons party. Now the expression "malcontent" (also maucontent, also mécontent) simply means "not satisfied" or "discontent" or perhaps also "cheated", but it is also the French name of the game Cuccù, which has similarities with the Tarot game ... and it has also special cards like the Tarot game. And this game was popular in France.
About the Mignons it is also noted in the article ...
"The name Mignons began, at this time, to travel by word of mouth through the people, to whom they were very odious, as much for their ways which were jesting and haughty as for their paint [make-up] and effeminate and unchaste apparel...Their occupations are gambling, blaspheming... fornicating and following the King everywhere...seeking to please him in everything they do and say, caring little for God or virtue, contenting themselves to be in the good graces of their master, whom they fear and honor more than God."
So there is some indication, that the Mignons used the "Malcontent" word for their opponents, which possibly indicates, that they had found something, which is better than the Malcontent game, in other words "Tarot".
In December 1478 (9 months after the very strange duel) the king founded (or better altered an earlier Order of St. Michael, founded 1469 by king Louis XI) a knight order - now called Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit (French: L'Ordre du Saint-Esprit). The most honored person at this opportunity seems to have been Lodovico de Gonzaga, the same, who once had the idea with the Tarot cards in 1559. Another member had been Philippe Strozzi, who participated in the Tarot action of 1559.
This image is commented with ...
"Louis Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers was the first to receive the order."
The image is also used by this cooking suggestion: "Cordon bleu"
http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/blog/tag/france/
We all know that Julia Child attended the world class Le Cordon Bleu cooking school while living in Paris. So how did it get its name? First, we should translate Le Cordon Bleu. For those of us who don’t know a bit of French, it means “The Blue Ribbon.” Then we should ask, “What was the significance of a blue ribbon?”
For anyone who has attended a county fair, it is the blue ribbon that everyone wants to earn. Maybe it was for the biggest pumpkin, or the best apple pie. Either way, if you earned the blue ribbon, you were the best of the best.
What’s surprising is that le cordon bleu dates back to the 16th century when King Henry III of France created the l’Ordre des Chevaliers du Saint Esprit (Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit). From 1578 to 1789, it was the most exclusive order in France and each of its members were awarded with the Cross of the Holy Spirit, which hung from a blue ribbon known as Le Cordon Bleu, which is depicted in this image of Louis Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers - the first to receive the order.
Louis Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers was the first to receive the order.
Louis Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers was the first to receive the order.
All members had to be at least 35 years old and Roman Catholic, but there were a few exceptions based on royal connections. Children of the king were members from birth, but were not received into the order until they were 12, while Princes of the Blood could be admitted to the order from the age of 16, and foreign royalty could be admitted to the order from the age of 25. These 100 knights were then called Les Cordon Bleus.
So how did it relate to food?
After the ceremonies held for these highly respected guests, there were huge sumputuous feasts held in their honor that became legendary. It is believed the name of the knights then became synonymous with the food prepared for their events. Over time, it became a symbol of prestigious quality.
Background of the King's special favor is the condition, that Lodovico Gonzaga had accompanied the earlier NOT-King-of-France to Poland, where he was invited to become Polish king. But then the French king in Paris had died, and the French crown was preferred instead the more barbaric conditions in Poland (with its cold winters). So Ludovico had a tutor role for this 3rd son of Catherine de Medici.
Another background is, that Henry had given rights to the Huguenots ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_France
In 1576, Henry signed the Edict of Beaulieu, granting many concessions to the Huguenots. His action resulted in the Catholic activist, Henry I, Duke of Guise, forming the Catholic League. After much posturing and negotiations, Henry was forced to rescind most of the concessions that had been made to the Protestants in the edict.
... and he took them back. The foundation of knight order (only Catholics were allowed) speaks the same language and points to the same political direction. The king takes side with the Catholics. His brother, the malcontent, took the protestant direction. He tried to arrange a marriage between himself and the queen of England, Elisabeth I,
"He was 24 and Elizabeth was 46."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis,_Duke_of_Anjou
It didn't work out. After some deadly mistakes he died at Malaria (1584). Henry of Navarra, on the side of the Huguenots, was the next heir of the throne of France. The situation got a bloody end. Henry III murdered Henry I, Duke of Guise, cause he feared his influence, and a Dominican friar killed Henry III. Henry of Navarra became Henry IV of Navarra, king of France, but he had to become a Catholic. And a lot of other fighting.
Lodovico Gonzaga survived it and reconciled with Henry IV of Navarra. Henry IV married Maria de Medici, an Italian princess. The distribution of the game in France had some progress, but in many aspects it wasn't a lucky time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priory_of_Sion
...
... Ludovico Gonzaga alias Louis Gonzaga was put on the list of the grand-masters of the Priory of Sion, which he started to be at the death of his uncle, 18 years old 1557 (the list presents a 1575, but this is an error, as the condottiero Ferrante alias Ferdinand Gonzaga died 1557). Actually it's recorded (perhaps also "just a story"), that they met at the battlefield in Belgium at different sides, the nephew as a prisoner, the uncle mortally wounded.
Well, a little far off the topic "Le Petit Oracle des Dames".