Dame Fortune's Wheel - The Fool

Although this card was inspired by the Nicholas Conver Fool, I particularly like Huson's addition of the moon and of the river, which gives a sense of going wherever the winding water takes him, maybe using something fluid instead of fixed as his point of reference. And the dog turned around to face the opposite direction looks even more like a warning to slow down.

I also like that his face mimics the shape of the quarter moon he's looking toward, emphasizing that he's a 'Lunatic'. While I was laying out the cards the other day, he looked ready to stumble into someone in the card to the right without noticing they were there.

I know none of that was revolutionary, but I wanted to add threads to the study group and perhaps get some new interest in the group going so I can read posts from others.

(Nicholas Conver Fool here)

Fool

Also, his hat parallels the dog ears... Reflecting that he's acting in an animal-like consciousness, ironic as the dog seems to be more aware than the fool.

Oh, yes. I hadn't made the connection, but of course. Thanks!

Head in the clouds. The dog has even ripped his pants to show him he's not going the right direction, the moon is waning but he won't listen to anything but the Wind.

I'm working with this deck this month so hopefully there's still interest in this deck.

Going back to the connection between the Fool and the moon, in the extended LWB, Huson says:

Various series medieval and Renaissance woodcuts are extant entitled “The Children of the Planets.” They depict the rule of the seven planets over different types of people and their professions. The Fool frequently appears in these prints. He is depicted as a child of, and ruled by, the Moon. He is, in fact, a “lunatic.”

Click to expand...

I found this lovely page with some images of the blockbooks, but I couldn't pick out the Fool in any of them.

Whereas I think of the RWS Fool as being hopeful, innocent, and a positive indication of a grand journey or adventure, I tend to think of the Marseille Fool as a beggar or madman at worst (though he can have many positive associations too). Dame Fortune's Fool is somewhere in between. He doesn't look quite so dispirited as Conver's Fool.