The Miike TdM Cards

kenji

The "MIIKE-CONVER" Cards

Hello all :)

The other day I visited Miike Museum again and
investigated the TdM cards I posted about before.
They kindly let me see, touch and feel the cards
to my content .
(Just imagine how happy I was! ;)
I could also examine TdB by Blanche
and 19th-century Milanese Tarocchi.)

As for the TdM cards:
There were 9 cards in total: 8 trumps (I, VIIII, X, XIII,
XIIII, XVI, XVII, XVIII) and THE ACE OF CUPS.
The size of the cards was 121 X 64mm.
It seemed to me that a card consisted of 4 (or maybe 3)
sheets of paper glued together, each of which was rather thin.
(I could see the sheets have come off one another
at the corner of the cards.)

Miike Museum allowed me to take picture of the cards
and also show them to other people, but only PRIVATELY.
So if anyone of you is interested, please let me know.
Then I'll give you the URLs for the pictures.

Are these cards by Conver or anyone else?
Your posting impressions or opinions here is welcome. :)

Thank you.
Kenji
 

jmd

Again the tyranny of distance is felt...

To be able to examine first hand precisely some of those qualities you mention: thickness, actual colour and texture details, weight... and so much more!

Wonderful find, and wonderful resource.

Thanks again.
 

Diana

Kenji! How nice to see you again, my friend! Thank you for always being so generous with us.

I will PM you my e-mail address.

Touching is so important too, isn't it? Must have been a most amazing experience.
 

kenji

Thanks to robertmealing, now I can show you
FAR BETTER images of Miike. cards. :)
(Thank you again, Robert!)

To jmd, Diana, and the others who have already the URLs:
Just revisit the site and see Robert's Magic! ;)
 

lionette

Wow!

Kenji, the cards are wonderful ...

There is so much more detail in these than in my ToM deck [a mediocre reprint of Convers]. Really opens up the imagery.

Thanks so much!
 

kenji

THE GREATEST NEWS!!!

Hello all! :)

I've received an e-mail from Mr. Thierry Depaulis (As you know, he is
the most famous authority on French Tarot!), and here is his answer
for my question:

"The photos were clear enough to let me conclude these cards certainly come
from the tarot that Nicolas Conver produced in 1760."

HURRAH!!!
Now I can proudly call these cards "MIIKE-CONVER"!!! :)

I'll ask Mr. Depaulis some more detailed questions,
and if I can get his permission I'll post more of his words.

Thank you!!
Kenji
 

le pendu

I just noticed something on Temperance.

It looks like on her upper right sleeve there used to be a pattern, like embroidery. I don't have the Heron Conver yet, so checked my Camoin and don't see any sign of it. Nor did I find it on any other deck I have. Has anyone seen this before?

Am I seeing things or do you see it too?


robert
 

kenji

Dear lionette,
Thanks for your comment :)
I'm glad you like them.

Dear Robert,
Hello my Angel :)
Well, I don't want to break the promise with Miike Museum...
But i think it's OK if it is only for 2 or 3 days, to make your argument clear.
I suppose the "pattern" came into being just because the stencil for blue wasn't
placed in its proper position...?

Dear Spoonbender,
I've just sent you a PM. :)

Dear Moongold,
Could you give me a PM? (It seems I can't PM you.)
Thank you :)

Dear jmd,
I've read all the posts. Thanks! :)
 

kenji

Hello all,

After the last posting Mr. Depaulis assured me that Miike cards are
THE OLDEST extant Conver cards as far as he knows! :)
The following are excerpts from his comments:

"They are typically of the "Marseilles" type as made in Marseilles, but
compared to the same cards in two contemporary tarots, namely those of
Francois Bourlion and Joseph Fautrier , both cardmakers of Marseilles,
both 1760's, I can say none of the Miike cards tally Bourlion's or Fautrier's.
On the other hand, all the cards I have checked with the Conver cards do match.
Moreover the back design is really 18th century.
As you know there were many reprints of the Conver tarot during the 19th century.
From the back you've photographed, I can say the cards must date from before 1800."


[The next is for my question: "And now what do you think of "THE ANGEL'S FACE
(in Trump XIIII)" problem? Can we conclude that Miike-Conver cards are older
than those in Paris and others in Italy???]

"Yes. Definitely, yes. They are the oldest I know: although their actual condition
is not good, we can see the printing was done from woodblocks which were in
a better condition. This confirms my views, based on the back designs.
I realise it is the oldest copy of all."


I'll post about the other extant Conver cards later :)

Thanks,
Kenji
 

jmd

Again, wonderful to get this confirmation from Thierry Depaulis...

Being constrained by much of the similar sources generally available, it is pleasant to have one's own thoughts confirmed. That the woodblock is of greater clarity is relatively easy to check... to be able to date, however, the deck by also being able to comment on its back design adds to our common background knowledge.

That you may not get many responses in this thread indicates more that it is difficult to contribute, and that nonetheless the thread is highly valued.