The Cary-Yale Visconti

Filippo is described as politically rather flexible in his politic, in other words "not reliable" ... He could promise peace and make war. What looks like a constant Milanese character to our eyes, didn't exist, the constant character was, that it was not constant.
At the wedding Filippo was interested to look peaceful, interested to get Sforza on his side and get the Venetian calmed down.
Sforza didn't trust Filippo and went to Venice after the wedding, rather immediately. The war of the next year was, that Aragon took Naples and the political scene was changed decidingly. The Sforza-Venetian help came to late. Aragon was - indirectly- Filippo's ally, and later Filippo promised to Alfonso of Aragon the succession in Milan.

And Fame and Crown promised at the wedding 1441 did count nothing.

Sforza lost influence in the following years after the wedding.

A Bon Droyt

That Filippo fails to honour the promise, does not mean that Bianca or Francesco would fail to use it in any claim they wish to make as to their 'legitimate rights'.

Kwaw

kwaw said:

That Filippo fails to honour the promise, does not mean that Bianca or Francesco would fail to use it in any claim they wish to make as to their 'legitimate rights'.

Kwaw

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As long as Filippo lived, claims meant nothing. Filippo promised things in various directions. And matters between Sforza and Filippo were often enough determined by concrete hostilities. When Filippo died, Sforza and Charles d'Orleans, the dauphin Louis, Alfonso d'Aragon, the German Emperor, Carlo Gonzaga and probably some others thought, that they had a claim now, all a little disturbed, that the Milanese thought, they could live better with the Ambrosian republic than with a single despot. And for some time they paid Sforza to protect them.

But for the moment , which interests us especially, October 1441, Cary-Yale-production, it was the time for a promise, some peace etc.

cary-yale visconti

Just a question about the upper Lady of the World card. It appears her coat is the same as that of the Lady of the Star (Hope/Star) card -- dark blue with red underneath (over the arms), and with gold at the sleeves. The blue over red is often associated with Mary. Notably, the faces of the World and Star cards are quite similar, although one is in profile and the other looks at the observer, making them at first dissimilar to the viewer. Beneath each is a symbolic image, Judas defeated under the Star-Lady, a polis of peace and prosperity under the World-Lady. What might be the connection between the Lady of the Star and the Lady of the World? (In both images, Hope comes to mind, Hope overcoming treachery, Hope leading to peace on earth.) These two cards appear to be a visual duet when put side-by-side.

Frank Hall said:

Just a question about the upper Lady of the World card. It appears her coat is the same as that of the Lady of the Star card -- dark blue with red underneath (over the arms), and with gold at the sleeves. The blue over red is often associated with Mary. Notably, the faces of the World and Star cards are quite similar, although one is in profile and the other looks at the observer, making them at first dissimilar to the viewer.

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The problem is many of the figures and faces of the Visconti-Sforza decks generally attributed to 'bembo' are model book types, cartoons not portraits, the faces, figures and other things are drawn to a formulaic convention and thus many are similar to each other - though a similarity of clothes, emblems, etc may mean to identify or allude to a relationship between one figure and another. ~Thereagain Huck is of the opinion the Fama figure is a portrait of Bianca, so maybe there is such a naturalistic element?

Kwaw

Actually, it's not so much the facial simillarity which I point to, alone, but to the whole patterns on those two cards --- put them side-by-side and take a close look. Consider the clothing colors, the emblems beneath, faces, etc. It's curious that there is an anchor on the Hope\star card and ships at sea on the Fame/World card. They could be companion cards as to the Lady on each and as to the complementary anchor on one and the ships on the other, suggesting symbolic unity and coherence to the deck, whatever the circumstances of its creation.

kwaw said:

The problem is many of the figures and faces of the Visconti-Sforza decks generally attributed to 'bembo' are model book types, cartoons not portraits, the faces, figures and other things are drawn to a formulaic convention and thus many are similar to each other - though a similarity of clothes, emblems, etc may mean to identify or allude to a relationship between one figure and another. ~Thereagain Huck is of the opinion the Fama figure is a portrait of Bianca, so maybe there is such a naturalistic element?

Kwaw

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I'm not of the opinion, but I discuss it as a possible reality.

http://www.kleio.org/monalisa/g_eng/829.htm

... knows 29 pictures, which POSSIBLY show Bianca Maria Viusconti.

Art-researcher Maike Vogt-Lüerssen, the author of this page, has the opinion, that they presents Bianca Maria Visconti.

Generally she presents the opinion, that Saints and presentations of Maria etc. in 15th century very often show the leading heads of the state, and that this custom was used also in Milan.

Although it's sometimes difficult to follow her conclusions, I don't think, that she's totally wrong and some of her ideas might be correct. But one may compare, if any of the pictures comes near to any Tarot picture, that we know from this period.

The page is for its greater part in German language.

Huck said:

I'm not of the opinion, but I discuss it as a possible reality.

http://www.kleio.org/monalisa/g_eng/829.htm

Although it's sometimes difficult to follow her conclusions, I think, that she's totally wrong and some of her ideas might be correct. But one may compare, if any of the pictures comes near to any Tarot picture, that we know from this period.

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Thanks for the link Huck, interesting idea, but misapplied here I think in most cases.

What is the white bird do you think on Bianca de Savoy's dress:

http://www.kleio.org/monalisa/g_eng/2317.htm

Kwaw

kwaw said:

Thanks for the link Huck, interesting idea, but misapplied here I think in most cases.

What is the white bird do you think on Bianca de Savoy's dress:

http://www.kleio.org/monalisa/g_eng/2317.htm

Kwaw

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I don't know for the moment, who Bianca de Savoy is. Somebody of 14th century, married to Galeazzo Visconti, father of Giangaleazzo?

The Visconti had much with birds, best seen in the Michelino deck with its birds as suits. But I don't see something very peculiar in it.

Cremona

It's generally assumed, that Bonifacio Bembo painted the Cary-Yale AND the Pierpont-Morgan-Bergamo Tarocchi.

That's not without contrasting discussion. Also there were the opinion expressed, that this "special Bembo-style" is simply general Lombard style and a second opinion sees the participation of other Bembo-family-members, as the whole family consisted of artists.

Actually one should see the argument, that this family is from Cremona and worked in Cremona.

Cremona was the dowry for Bianca Maria, and Bianca Maria married in Cremona. Cremona is positioned at the eastern border and the political idea of Filippo was, that a strong Sforza in Cremona would close this way for Venetian armies.

There are still opinions, that see the deck as a marriage object for Filippo own marriage 1427. But ... which good reasons would have existed in 1427 to produce the deck in Cremona, in far distance to Milan or Pavia, the center of the dukedom? Actually not much. Especially as the bride was from Savoy, which is positioned on the opposite western border of the Milanese country.

Other conditions for the year 1441 : it is quite logical to use artists of Cremona for the marriage deck, the whole marriage takes place in the city.
Considering the conditions of the quick marriage decision in 1441, there was not too much time to prepare the deck ... perhaps one may even conclude, that the marriage deck was made after the marriage (?). But if one assumes, that it existed in the wedding time, all the more it's logical that the artists were chosen from Cremona, as quick decisions demand quick solutions and an artist of Cremona was simply the most practical way to realize that object.