Estensi Tarot-Lo Scarabeo's 'golden deck'

Cerulean

I think the answer lies with G. Berti

Many of the Lo Scarabeo sets--22 arte sets and the 78 cards sets-- that I have dated after 1995 have Giordano Berti as the main editorial consultant in terms of divinatory meanings. So far, the Egyptian deck with Sylvia Alasia's artwork and the Visconti Gold book-deck sets have a somewhat similar divinatory meaning feel...and Berti did edit both books.

Around 1998 I was beginning to collect modern Italian sets and noticed the ones available in different bookstores included some Lo Scarabeo titles. There is a remarkable similarity in the early sets with divinatory meanings.

I noticed a reading by Kittaine that was great just using the images and her experience reading for friends and others.

Below, I'm wandering off the subject...

If I can draw a similar analogy, when I find U.S. Games decks beginning from publication in 1971, Stuart Kaplan had a lot to do with the LWB information--and his Tarot Classic book on a Swiss-style Marseilles meanings seemed to mirror the Visconti Tarocchi deluxe set his publishing house distributed with the Longobardia Museum in Italy...I have a funny feeling that some of the standard meanings for the Ukiyoe Tarot and the Angel Tarot designed with the Angel Playing Cards company in 1982 also mirror the same meanings...

I haven't ventured into looking at the LWB for Kaplan's releases of the Tavaglione Tarot, Caligstro or other Italian deck meanings too deeply...but there is a similarity between the meanings in the Tavaglione for U.S. Games and Tarot of the Stars/Stella for Dal Negro .

Regards,

Cerulean
 

Rusty Neon

LS Estensi - 9 of Swords

The LWB for this card gives the keywords Servitude, Weakness, Unjustified Fear as the 'upright' card meanings.

This is a long thread, so I don't know if my question has already been asked ...

My question relates to the how-and-why of the card imagery. The person in the card is headless. The card depicts red strands coming out of the person's collar area where the head used to be (red flames?, blood?). What are those red strands? And what is the underlying meaning of those red strands in the context of the art of Italy at the time of the frescoes in question? I'm not concerned about relating it to the card meaning; my concern is figuring out what the picture itself is all about.

Thanks!
 

Cerulean

Good question. Anyone?

I've never found this image source.

I'm certain someone else has the answer. They'll probably tell me it was a common motif and I missed it in the frescos. But I'll look again when I have time and will post if I ever find it.

Regards,

Cerulean

P.S. I was wondering if had reference to John the Baptist, but that is a wild guess.

My other guess is St. George, patron saint of Ferarra, who is usually shown with a dragon, but was said to have been beheaded for his faith.

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintg05.htm
 

Macavity

A few more images of the Decans in another page by Mr. Uri Raz...

http://www.tarot.org.il/Decans/

A man with the patience to disect those Frescos... and some interesting new (to me) stuff from the "Astrolabium Planum by Johannes Engel" :)

Macavity

(probably more help with the correct "Stars Eternal" ordering) })
 

firemaiden

I just got this deck, a week or so ago. I'd been wanting it for a long time. I was at first disappointed by the pale-ish images. But it is really growing on me. I'm finding it great to read with. Anyone else read with it yet?
 

Rosanne

Me too

Hi Firemaiden- I was very fortunate to receive via our best store for Decks, three sets that I have wanted for some time. Golden Tarot was one. It is strange, I've collected Tarot decks for a long time now and all have been Art decks, mostly modern. As I have got older I have craved a more classical deck/historical deck. I was saving for Brian Williams Renaissance Deck, but was lucky to see a sample deck. It was very pale and I did'nt like it at all. Very different from the Web scans. Back to Estensi. I was dissapointed to start with, over the raised look of the illustrations on top of the gilding. After handling them and looking at them and doing sample spreads, I feel a connection with the cards I have not felt before. It is almost as if I have joined the age old fraternity, with these cards. Wonderful feeling. I got the Gilded Tarot, and I like it very much, but it is now just one more beautiful deck in my colllection. I think I understand the attraction people feel for their Marseilles Decks. I think, like you , my Golden Tarot will read well and my loved Spiral Tarot will be wrapped in silk and put away for a while. Happy Christmas. Regards Rosanne
 

Cerulean

Nine of Swords is Vesta in her illuminated chariot

One of the most damaged frescos is the December one--with the commentary in the Book of Schifanioa Frescos, I finally was able to identify that the headless figure was actually Vesta with her head covered. Normally a June goddess,

http://www.plast.org/USP/Verkhovynky/members/eboard/eboard-vesta/eboard-vesta.html

but also, if one searches, an alternative that shows in December:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Vesta goddess in December&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=iw

Vesta (Roman goddess), patroness of fire, an archetypal symbol of the eternal present, also rules this month.

Actually, the damage to the fresco might also account for her headless aspect. The flames shooting out from her is supposed to be illumination and likely, there was a illuminated or veiled face. The commentary that I have in the Schifanioa frescos book said the whole picture is supposed to be Vesta and her attendants and they are supposed to have radiating lumiousity.

Her attendants are supposed to be Vestal Virgins and if they are lax or lazy, allowing the sacred fires to burn out, the end of Rome or the Empire was said to be at hand...hopefully that will answer the question that I cut and pasted below.

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Original post:

LS Estensi - 9 of Swords

The LWB for this card gives the keywords Servitude, Weakness, Unjustified Fear as the 'upright' card meanings.

This is a long thread, so I don't know if my question has already been asked ...

My question relates to the how-and-why of the card imagery. The person in the card is headless. The card depicts red strands coming out of the person's collar area where the head used to be (red flames?, blood?). What are those red strands? And what is the underlying meaning of those red strands in the context of the art of Italy at the time of the frescoes in question? I'm not concerned about relating it to the card meaning; my concern is figuring out what the picture itself is all about.

Thanks!