Estensi Tarot: Hall of Months & Image Analysis

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Mar 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
Sources: Book:: Schifanioia Months at Ferarra Online: Warburg's image collection, Cosime de Tura; Francesca de la Cossa, Schifanoia Months at Ferarra March - Triumph of Minerva April - Triumph of Venus May - Triumph of Apollo June - Triumph of Mercury July - Triumph of Jupiter August - Triumph of Ceres September - Triumph of Leo Miscellaneous: North Wall

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
A. Top Band 3 of Wands - Top upper right (3 spinners) B. Middle Band is astrological decanates Middle left, first decan/1st Decade - Four of Cups 10 of Cups - Middle, 2nd Decade 4 of Swords - From the fresco: "...same gracefulness distinguishes the last figure (the third decan): a young man with the attributes, this time in strict adherance to the rulings of the astrologuers, of the hoop and arrow." (No explanation from the art history book seems pertinent to change of the hoop to a snake in the Estensi Tarot). C. Bottom band Page of Wands --Upper left, man in green, a building/arbor Ace of Swords - Upper right arch, cupids (Estensi arms) Knight of Swords -leftmost horse Knight of Pentacles - Facing 2 men on horseback Page of pentacles - lowest left, kneeling man and woman

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
A. Upper Right Band Page of Chalices - embracing couple, man in green, woman in red (green and red are Estensi family colors) Queen of Cups - in the middle of the float, the knight (Mars) and Venus. Note the chains on Mars. Two of Cups - kneeling couple, man's hand down her shirt. B. Middle Band Four of Wands - woman and child Ten of Cups - decan is demon figure and animal 8 of Denari - Figure with snake and white horse - hare or weasal C. Bottom is the Palio or race Seven of Pentacles- standing figure, two women King of Cups - Seated figure in purple 5 of Wands - Middle arch, birds (falcons), and attendent

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
A. Upper Band King of Pentacles - middle float, the man riding the float Ace of Cups - in the top right of the upper band the horse and fountains. ..the fountain Castaly and winged Pegasus are positioned to the right of the nine Muses (1) listening in raptures to the harmonies: the babies lower down are children symbolizing the fine arts in their infancy, waiting to flourish at the sign of Apollo --**note, in one of the descriptions of a triumph to Borso, I believe there were children posted by the roadside in the township of Reggio or Modena, so this might be a reference to an actual tribute(2) 9 of Denari - upper hand on the right, woman with viola (1) Six of Cups - upper hand, children (2) B. Middle Band 9 of Cups - left, lord in red and kneeling servant in white tunic Three of Swords - rightmost man in green top, purple-rose cloak, three arrows.

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
A. Upper Band Two of Swords - two nobles in red cloaak, blue, the other in green cloak, yellow robe Two of Denari - Upper right of float, man in white, red cloak, youth in gold tunic. B. Middle Band Five of Cups - woman in leaves Seven of Cups - two young women "Above the sign of Cancer is a young woman, sitting, wearing a diadem and a rich flowing gown. In her right hand is a sceptre, in front of her stands a young girl, also in courtly dress. This figure, too, derives from a mixture of Arabo-Persian and Indian Astrology..." Six of Denari - right most man with raised knee

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
A. Upper Band Ten of Wands - Upper float, middle - man and woman Two of Wands - Upper right, man reclining B. Middle Band Ace of Wands - Man in tree 10 of Swords - Man over lion (?) C. Lower Band Five of Swords - Group of soldiers

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
A. Upper Band Nine of Wands - man with two oxen Queen of Pentacles - Woman in white robe on top of float, upper middle band Six of Swords - Abduction of Persphone B. Middle Band Six of Wands - Pomona Three of Cups - middle right, kneeling woman

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
A. Upper Band Three of Pentacles - three blacksmiths Queen of Wands - woman on float B. Middle Band Page of Swords - middle left, man blowing horn Ace of Pentacles - Man with upraised arms "The Zodiac sign of Libra... the central figure as already mentioned should represent--if we refer back to tradition for the second decanus of Libra--a man with hawk's wings and head but here, too, in order to avoid a monsterous figure, the Ferarra artist has devised, instead, a man striiving to soar upward in flight, the palms of his hands and face daringly foreshortened in an upward moment..." Five of Pentacles - Man with clasped hands Seven of Swords - Man pushing forward - arrow C. Lower Band Eight of Wands - Above the man on the white horse, near the edge of the painting, there's a faint scene of men under a manger/arbor set-up with a man standing on a platform. "It is very badly damaged, but it is believed it represented the reception of a Venetian ambassador, possibly Paolo Morosini. The rest of the fresco is taken up by Borso (the man on the white horse) riding out to the hunts at the head of his courtiers, whilst further back peasants are gathering grapes" Note: online, the lower band is not shown because of damage. There is no explanation to the switch of the image to boxes in the tarot card.

Cerulean	11 Mar 2005
Knight of Swords - north wall, man with pink tunic and robes

The Estensi Tarot: Hall of Months & Image Analysis thread was originally posted on 11 Mar 2005 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.