Puzzling the CharlesV1/Griggoneur Yet Again!

Rosanne

At the time these card were created, the ideas and beliefs that were apparent was called Humanism.(We give it that name, not the people of the time) These ideas were ethical philosophies that in the main a search for truth and morality and the place of mankind in Nature and his dignity. The Renaissance came as a slow change from Medieval Feudalism and the Feudalism of the Roman Catholic Church. Feudalism was a rigid system, intolerant of change and the people were subservient to the rules. The individual had no standing. The economic situation of the city states, made the support of Humanistic ideals able to happen. There was a a search for classical texts from Rome and Greece to explain with logic the Truth of Man and personal independence and expression in this world- rather than a preparation for the next.
Still, the people who created Tarot still lived between two worlds The City of God and the the City of Man- or as they say now between 'Faith and Reason' There was this struggle to free themselves from ecclesiastical authority and obtain liberation of the intellect. Man himself could could improve his own conditions with out supernatural help and it was his duty to do so. Fundamental to this were the principles of Freedom, Justice, Tolerance, Happiness and an appreciation of Beauty.
As all this was happening the education of the Italian was in five disciplines.
Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Geometry, Arithmetic, Astronomy and Music. Clergy were taught this way, using Latin Authors and Christian authors- not Greek classical Authors- or Arabic authors for that matter. So it was on Rhetoric and Grammar the Humanist concentrated on. So Humanism was a program of Education- in the main to make each man a 'Wise King'. The Wise King would use Language to persuade others to pursue the right course and right policy for the benefit of everyone, both in Civic life and personally. Grammar was the study of the proper use of language and how to make meaning- so Poetry and History was in Grammer. The best way was to imitate the style of Classical Authors, whose texts had been lost when Rome fell in the 5th Century- these needed to be re discovered.
I have noticed that the list of who is now considered a Humanist(both Christian and Pagan) are those who we see time and again considered linked to Tarot.
In this environment Tarot was born- where these Humanistic thoughts rose up to rival the doctrines of the Church. This is why I think Tarot is a fusion of Christian and Classical thought. It is why I don't see a total Christian Salvation sequence or a plain Astrological explanation either.
So taking the 16 cards of the Majors that are still existing from what is commonly called Charles V1 and applying a pairing as in Humanistic values- some sort of educational game becomes apparent to me. They seem to fall artistically into pairs.
Morgante and Temperance
Justice and Hanged Man
Judgement and The Lovers
Moon and Star
Emperor and Strength
Pope and Death
Chariot and World
Hermit and Tower

In the case of the Pope and Death and The Emperor and Strength- I wonder if Cosimo Medici saw himself like Cicero after Cicero returned to Rome from Exile
The struggle between Pompey and Julius Caesar grew more intense in 50 BC. Cicero, rather forced to pick sides, chose to favour Pompey, but at the same time prudence dictated him to avoid openly alienating Caesar.
Here we have in the 1400's the same predicament between the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope.
Then in the Chariot and the World we see the possible Glory of Florence(Lorenzo Medici) opposed the Vainglory of Rome (Vainglory holds a mirror and a wand). Prudence is the Virtue not Fame.
So these cards seem a humanist document in pictures......
To be played as a game? and what Game?
Any thoughts are welcome :D
~Rosanne
Here is a sample pairing.
 

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Rosanne

Here are the other pairings
Do they, maybe, depict the curriculum....
Morgante and Temperance- Grammar with Poetry
Justice and Hanged Man- syllogism logic
Judgement and The Lovers- Music and platonic love
Moon and Star-Astrology
Emperor and Strength-Logic
Pope and Death-History
Chariot and World- Classical literature
Hermit and Tower- Rhetoric
or a better description.....:D
 

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Rosanne

The pairing of Justice and the Hanged Man.
In the Mantegna Cards Justice is compared with Rhetoric

In The Fresco of Ambrogio Lorenzetti called The Allegory of Good Government- Justice is seen below Wisdom. The scales of Justice show on one side, Commutative Justice and on the other Distributive Justice.
Justice regulates the voluntary actions whereby one person is brought into contact with another. Commutative justice directs man in his relations to other individuals and is concerned with the individual good. Legal Justice directs a person in relation to the whole civil community and the common good. In this relationship, it is the civil community who is the partner with the claim. Note also that in a general way all vices are opposed to justice insofar as they are repugnant to the common good (i.e., cowardice is a vice opposed to fortitude, but it is also opposed to legal or general justice, for running away in battle threatens the common good ). Distributive justice is concerned with the order of the whole to the parts, that is, with what belongs to the whole community in relation to each individual person. It belongs to distributive justice to distribute common goods proportionately.

In Classical Greek literature the most distinctive characteristic is a passionate and ceaseless concern for Justice, a constant exploration seeking clarification about these questions of divine purpose and the appropriate response to an often cruel and always ambiguous relationship between the human and the divine. In Greek mythology Justice (Dike) was a goddess, a daughter of Zeus, responsible for maintaining moral order on earth.

The Hanged Man has in some early decks been called Il Traditore- the Traitor but in Huson's Mystical Origins of the Tarot suggests another explanation that seems more in keeping with the Humanism ideal and the Wise King idea I have been following with this exploring the Charles V1 Cards. It comes from the Christian philosopher Boethius and his classical text Consolation of Philosophy. It is to remember at all times the Neoplatonic doctrine that man always has access to the Divine mind- we can each access Wisdom directly, by recollection as well as through the senses; and that therefore he should at all times hold his head high and aspire to Divine understanding. Huson goes on to explain that Plato describes the human soul enmeshed by worldliness as 'anatrope' or upside down. This means you are lacking in Wisdom, and if lacking in Wisdom would not fulfill the virtue of Justice.(Unlike Solomon the Wise King)
These are the sort of things that Cosimo Medici would have wanted his Grandson Lorenzo to learn- and of course he himself possibly thought the Hanged Man as traitor might well have been Alberti Bruni the Chancellor of Florence lol; These cards, after all look very Medici rather than Charles V1.
~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

Here is an article written by Ross Caldwell on Trionfi
http://trionfi.com/0/p/15/

It seems they may not have been painted by Gringonneur for Charles V1 who reigned from 1368-1422. To date they are thought to have come from Italy- Venice? Ferrara? between 1470-1480 based on other research.

On Andy's Playing Card site
One of the most interesting theories about the choice of trump subjects is that the 22 picture cards might have been an early educational instrument.
An interesting early document, whose reliability though is far from being proven, is the travel diary of a party of Frenchmen who in 1227 visited Italy: their papers mention that in noble courts, children played with small finely decorated illustrations, which are reported as "carticellas", a name suggesting small pictures made of paper or pasteboard. The same term, surely referred to playing cards, yet with slightly different spellings, such as cartulae, cartexelle, etc., is found in several 15th century documents.

It is also said that scholars dispute this connection with Playing Cards.
Why could these cards be considered 'for' someone in Florence or 'painted in Florence' rather than Milan/Venice /Fererra/ Bologna?
Mostly I have taken what Huck has said here in his interesting posts about these cards- The Golden Cards. They look like they have some subject matter that pertains to the Medici Family and literature associated with the City.
The time I am looking at is when the informal Academy of Florence at the Villa Careggi (Medici Villa) was started in 1462 and the Tournament in honour of Simonetta Vespucci that Lorenzo Medici's brother Giuliano won in 1475. I also wonder if these cards might have been painted by Francesco Roselli.
The Holy Roman Emperor at this time was Frederick III and the Roman Catholic Pope was Sixtus IV.
~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

hehehe I just went and posted in your linked thread Robert! Duh!

Yes I have struggled with my Irish Nun taught school French and note that your moniker Le Pendu comes under the humanist banner la culture populaire ! Thanks Robert I have all I can find (and read on these cards)
They are why I am off to Italy very soon, and why I am reading so much about the Humanists of the Renaissance. There are many Frescoes that I am slowly learning about- some at seldom visited places. I used to think these images were maps and astrology- I no longer think so, except in the sense that Astrology was a curriculum subject for a humanist. In the end it was money that made these cards (and the Renaissance) happen. Whose money? Whose workshop? Why were these cards larger than average? Why has the Saracen on the Horse of Death not killed everyone? Is that Simonetta Vespucchi on the World Card? Is that Guiliano Medici on the Chariot? Is that Lorenzo on the Moon Card? Can the Pope and The Emperor be a duality of the Wise King- a mix of Christian and Classical philosophy? So many questions lol.
~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

Taking a different tack.....

The Ritual of Processional Celebration.
When springtime comes which delights the whole world, every florentine begins thinking about celebrating a beautiful feast of San Giovanni, which is in midsummer.....Two months beforehand they begin to make the palio and the clothes of servants and pennants and trumpets and the cloth palli that lands commended the commune give as cens, and other ceri they have to offer...they do not omit to do all those joyful things on the festive days preceding the feast such as Dancing, singing, banqueting and jousts and other graceful games....
By Guasti in 'Feste'
On days preceding the feast day Processions took place to show the wealth of the City. They honoured the Merchant, the Citizen-soldier, The Moral Laymen. They held jousts and tournaments, mock battles and fights, bonfires and jesting plays in the street. This was done to wow the visitors and to cement political alliances within the city itself. This feast was a public show of power of and for the whole community. A mounted armeggiatore took place on the preceding day before the feast in 1459 and a record shows the following...
He for many reasons had great power
Since his family can do much,
Son of Piero and grandson of Cosimo.
Thus these genteel made him 'signore'
Whence he wanted to show everyone
That they were all subject to one signore.
Now that genuine youth moves
Upon a horse marvelously ornate,
Everyone watches what he does
His dress surpasses easily that of
All those of whom we've spoken,
And well shows that he is signore.

An armeggerai is a joust and a dance and the signore who wins leads the procession on a float in his armour, surrounded by his family friends- they form a band or Brigade. All families paid large sums for their sons to belong to the brigade and it gave them credit and honour to belong. Each youth in the Brigade wore many layers of expensive livery and as the procession wound around the city they undressed layer by layer and gave the clothes to Charity- so everyone watched to see how grand and expensive each layer was, and how many layers there were. This was a political statement. Lorenzo Medici was ten years old in 1459 and he wore a famous silver armoured suit.
~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

A record of an anonymous poet in 1459 speaks of the competitive dance that took place before the armeggeria parade.
There were a thousand enamored visages
Seized by Venus and by Cupid,
Taken and bound in the snares of love.

Then after the dance having been concluded they mounted their horse and held the Armeggerie, then they gave prizes for the dance and held the joust. The poet goes on to say of the joust..
Boldly each bragged
He would make a strike for the love of a dame
Armed from the head down to the soles of the foot
Each set about acquiring Fame.

The brigades spoken about were male and they were required by law to be small- because of the fear of conspiracy; 12 like the apostles was the maximum.
Now the signore or head of the Brigade had to provide food and shelter to his family of brothers. These 12 lads were the ones who took place in the joust the dance and the armed parade. So that the Brigades did not confront each other, their particular feats were performed at different times of the day, but they fought hard to get in order of preference in the parade, and sometimes the fights could hurt the bystanders- so a notice had to be given to warn the citizens what was going to happen and where. (they were worried about civil suits even back then lol) This again was all Political- all done for the 'Dame Florence'
The parade on the the day of the Citizen and soldier (same as Joust and dance) and same format as the other two parades before the feast, were like this record.
The great offering, which was that evening, from every gonfolon(city wards with their guilds) they came, two by two in turn....For my eyes have never seen so much wax in torches- twenty thousand, if I'm not to lie, came in order. For there were sixteen gonfolons, each with its own brigade. The festival has begun.

In the months before the feast of San Giovanni as I said earlier, the brigade's families made gifts to offer which is called in the records as 'Cens' and 'Ceri' and cloth palliums embroidered (exchange of wealth). The thing that is interesting is that 'ceri' sometimes were handpainted cards made by artisans- they were miniature gilded paintings. The poorer families made cardboard ones and were quite folksy apparently, but acceptable as a gift. The ones given by the Medici were very expensive!
Other Ceri were hand crafted candles, small marble statues and the like.
Maybe this is how cards got to be 'out of state' as it were- because they were gifts?
~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

Here is a picture of a cassone (chest)- the panels painted by Rossello di Jacopo Franchi in c. 1440.
There is another one by the same artist(maybe but it doesn't look like the same artist) of the race of the Palio in the Streets of Florence. Unlike the cassone painting of the Offering to St Giovanni the medallions are not faith, Hope and charity- but are Temperance, Justice and Fortitude. Scroll down to John Toscani and cassone painted. Someone has the artist wrong-

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