An article of Franco Pratesi about a recent finding in an Sicilian journal:
http://trionfi.com/kalos-tarocco-siciliano
Between a few other notes there is also the information, that in the year 1630 existed Tarocchi decks in Sicily.
Michael Dummett had always much attention on the Tarocco Siciliano, it was his favored object. From the earlier information it seemed to be given, that Tarocchi was invented to Sicily in the years 1662-63 by the current viceroy.
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Inside the Sicilian article a woodcut block with 3x7 cards was shown at a rather small picture, which showed parts of a Tarocco Siciliano, given to 19th century.
Strange enough, the picture got some attention at 27th of December.
The deck proved to be rather similar to a deck in the WWPCM, there given as from 18th century.
Both decks have the signifying "Jupiter with Ganymed" motif as highest trump, which is altered in younger Tarocco Siciliano versions to a "Jupiter with lightning".
More interesting are some details of the Fool card:
The Fool card of the woodblock version with some photoshop improvement ...
.. shows a figure with a wind instrument and a drum. Additionally it has at its back something, which can't be identified with security from this picture alone.
The mentioned XVIII century WWPCM deck repeats the wind instrument, but the drum and the details at the back of the figure are nearly lost.
Later Tarocco Siciliano versions have decided, that the earlier drum should be a ball and the details at the backside are more or less gone:
However, a sheet found by the playing card researcher Peter Blaas in the Biblioteca Civica in Rovereto far away from Sicily in the North of Italy (considered to be older than 18th century) and reported by John Berry in the IPCS-journal XXI, p. 95 ff. (1993) has a Fool with wind instrument and drum and the insecure backside details are now clearly recognizable as wings.
From Sicily it is known, that there was a stronger Minchiate influence, which was known there - as also in Genova - with the name "Gallerini". This went so far, that usual Tarocco Sicilano decks were occasionally addressed as "piccolo Gallerini" (little Gallerini; Dummett&McLeod: A History of Games played with the Tarot Pack, volume I, p.327).
In Florentine Minchiate the card "Fama volat" was used as highest trump and as a plausible replacement of the usual "Angelo" found in Tarocchi versions. It had as attributes the usual Fama wind instruments and it had wings (interpreted as a sign, that fame travels far and quick) ...
... as the Fool in the Rovereto cards and the card is similar to the Fool in the XIX. century woodcut block version of the Tarocco Siciliano.
It seems plausible to assume, that the "winged Fool", which as iconographic type is otherwise not known between the older Tarocchi Fools, together with it's companion, the "Miseria" or "Poverta" or "Beggar" in Tarocco Siciliano, developed from the contrast Matto and Fame in Minchiate (also called "Germini" or "Gallerini").
The Rovereto sheet include some pip cards, between them are 8s and 9s of swords and batons. The Sicilian XIX century woodcut block also contains these cards. The iconography of both decks is again rather similar regarding these cards.
http://a-tarot.eu/p/jan-11/fol/rov-big.jpg
Some other cards of the Rovereto don't have these stronger similarities.
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The Rovereto Fool had wings and this is a rather rare iconographic detail between the older Fool cards. In the ideas about the Rovereto deck it was not believed, that it was a production near to Rovereto of Northern Italy, but it was considered somehow "from Rome" cause some details resemble the Colonna cards.
http://a-tarot.eu/p/jan-11/fol/col-1.jpg
http://a-tarot.eu/p/jan-11/fol/col-2.jpg
For further comparison: Tarocco Siciliano and Minchate decks inside the WWPCM collected by Alexander Sukhorowsky
Tarocco Siciliano:
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http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05238/d05238.htm - XVIII century, "Tuzzolino"
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http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05235/d05235.htm - XIX century, Lorenzo di Lorenzo
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http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05237/d05237.htm - XIX century, "La Fortuna"
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http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05239/d05239.htm - 1930 - 1975, Concetta Campione
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http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05236/d05236.htm - since c. 1966, Modiano
Compare also:
http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05236/d05236text.htm - Article of Domenico Starna
Minchiate:
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http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05115/d05115.htm - reprint of "Carte de Etruria" c. 1725, by "Lo Scarabeo"
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http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05114/d05114.htm - reprint of "Minchiate Fiorentino" c. 1790, actually La Leone from Bologna
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http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05113/d05113.htm - reprint of a Minchiate deck designed 1820 and printed 1865 by "Il Meneghello"
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So, in memory of Michael Dummett, who reached a lot of merits in the small world of Tarot history, a Happy New Year (which just has reached Cologne with its fire crackers).