foolish
Most of the interpretations of Le Bateleur which I have seen - later to become The Magician - depict the character as the Individual at the beginning of his spiritual journey, or as someone at the bottom of the social ladder who needs to climb up through the rest of the deck of moral or religious teachings. But are there clues which point to a different identity?
In the Marseilles deck, "Bateleur" means “street performer” or “mountebank” (one who tricks people out of their money). The French term indicates a “sleight of hand artist, a practitioner of stage magic.” (French Wikipedia)
The Italian word used for this card was "Bagatto" or "Bagatella," which means “a trifle, a thing of little importance.” It is the card which has been given the lowest importance in the deck, and has the least trick-taking power. Both the Italian and French terms suggest a lowly, if not derogatory, description of this character. It was only much later that Oswald Wirth (1860-1943) raised the Bateleur to the status of a “magus” or sorcerer.
So, the card seems to imply not just the lowly station or insignificance of the character, but also conveys the conjuring of tricks, a sleight of hand, deceit and fraud. In Hieronymous Bosch's painting, "The Conjurer," we can clearly see this meaning of the "Bateleur". Here, the street performer is providing tricks to deceive the public. And while this is being done, we notice that another person (perhaps his accomplice?), dressed in a monk's robe, is cutting the purse-strings of the onnlooker.
In the high Middle Ages leading up to the Protestant revolution, there was a broad undercurrent of questioning and skepticism regarding the workings of the Roman Catholic Church. These "alternate" ideas, by definition, were branded as heresy. However, to these groups of people (Cathars, Beguins, Umiliati, Manicheans, Paulicians, Spiritual Franciscans, etc.), it was the orthodox Church that was actually seen as misguided - decieving people with their false doctrine and/or way of living. Many members of the clergy displayed a degree of wealth which didn't seem consistent with the lifestyles of Jesus or the apostles, while many of the "priests" of these heretical sects adopted a more modest lifestyle of poverty and abstenance. It was generally accepted amongst heretical teachings that a priest who lived an immoral life had no ability in offering spiritual salvation to others. Another point of contention was the use of sacraments, such as the Eucharist, which was probably seen as the Catholic version of magic.
To the medieval consciousness, it may not have been too much of a stretch to put these two ideas together - that of the image of the "Bateleur" as a trickster, and that of the orhtodox Church as being a deceiver of the people. As we can see in Bosch's painting, the image acts as a sort of political cartoon. So in this sense, the question becomes, "Could The Magician be representing the Church in general, or even one of its members specifically?"
In the Marseilles deck, "Bateleur" means “street performer” or “mountebank” (one who tricks people out of their money). The French term indicates a “sleight of hand artist, a practitioner of stage magic.” (French Wikipedia)
The Italian word used for this card was "Bagatto" or "Bagatella," which means “a trifle, a thing of little importance.” It is the card which has been given the lowest importance in the deck, and has the least trick-taking power. Both the Italian and French terms suggest a lowly, if not derogatory, description of this character. It was only much later that Oswald Wirth (1860-1943) raised the Bateleur to the status of a “magus” or sorcerer.
So, the card seems to imply not just the lowly station or insignificance of the character, but also conveys the conjuring of tricks, a sleight of hand, deceit and fraud. In Hieronymous Bosch's painting, "The Conjurer," we can clearly see this meaning of the "Bateleur". Here, the street performer is providing tricks to deceive the public. And while this is being done, we notice that another person (perhaps his accomplice?), dressed in a monk's robe, is cutting the purse-strings of the onnlooker.
In the high Middle Ages leading up to the Protestant revolution, there was a broad undercurrent of questioning and skepticism regarding the workings of the Roman Catholic Church. These "alternate" ideas, by definition, were branded as heresy. However, to these groups of people (Cathars, Beguins, Umiliati, Manicheans, Paulicians, Spiritual Franciscans, etc.), it was the orthodox Church that was actually seen as misguided - decieving people with their false doctrine and/or way of living. Many members of the clergy displayed a degree of wealth which didn't seem consistent with the lifestyles of Jesus or the apostles, while many of the "priests" of these heretical sects adopted a more modest lifestyle of poverty and abstenance. It was generally accepted amongst heretical teachings that a priest who lived an immoral life had no ability in offering spiritual salvation to others. Another point of contention was the use of sacraments, such as the Eucharist, which was probably seen as the Catholic version of magic.
To the medieval consciousness, it may not have been too much of a stretch to put these two ideas together - that of the image of the "Bateleur" as a trickster, and that of the orhtodox Church as being a deceiver of the people. As we can see in Bosch's painting, the image acts as a sort of political cartoon. So in this sense, the question becomes, "Could The Magician be representing the Church in general, or even one of its members specifically?"
