Hermit with hourglass

[Ross G Caldwell]

The three oldest known handpainted cards depicting the Hermit (for the sake of convenience we'll call him that) show him holding an hourglass.

He is not represented as such in any printed cards that I can recall, the three traditions showing an allegorical figure of Time with wings and crutches (A or Southern), or holding a lantern (B (Ferrara) and C (TdM)). Maybe the hourglass is added somewhere in the picture, but he is not holding it.

The allegory of Time with wings and crutches (showing Time flies, as well as the effects of age) is first attested in the early 1440s, with the earliest dated example being 1442, according to a paper by Simona Cohen, "The early Renaissance personfication of Time and changing concepts of Temporality" (Renaissance Studies vol. 14 no. 3 (2000) pp. 301-328). This personification occurs in manuscript illustrations and cassoni (wedding chest) paintings of Petrarch's Trionfi, and of course in the A or Southern kind of tarot cards.

Cohen says about the hourglass motif -

An important attribute of time, the hourglass, seems to have made its first appearance in the Trionfo del Tempo about 1450. It was then introduced in a whole series of cassone. We have seen that images of the initial stage [of depictions of the Triumph, 1440s], such as the globe and elements, were carried over by medieval cosmic imagery, but the hourglass had no cosmic connotations and was comparatively new to art: the earliest known depiction, used as an attribute of Temperance in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, preceded its appearance in the Trionfo del Tempo by about 100 years. Temperance signified moderation, regularity, and restraint, in other words, moral self-discipline or the self-imposition of limits. The hourglass of Temperance showed that proper measurement and utilization of time was a virtue. When in the fifteenth century Time made his debut with an hourglass, Temperance had long ago forsaken hers for a clock. Although there is one example of a mechanical clock on a cassone of the mid-Quattrocento, the fact that illustrators of that period still preferred to represent time by the hourglass, rather than the modern clock that was perfecting time measurement, indicates that these were not interchangeable symbols. The regularity of clockwork had become a simile for the regularity of man's body and spirit when ruled by reason. The hourglass conveyed the idea not of accurate measurement but of the brevity of human life. It was a perfect object to express the sense of value that men attached to the brief time allotted them. Concurrent with the appearance of the hourglass in Italian art, there was new emphasis on a more practical approach to time in religious and secular literature. (pp. 311-313; bold emphasis added)

The two emphases in the quote above would seem to support, first, the idea that we cannot date the Charles VI and Catania packs earlier than 1450; second, it reinforces what we know about Dominican and Franciscan preaching about the sins of playing games, which in the 1440s and 1450s was listing them starting with "Amissio temporis" - wasting time.

Cohen provides many examples of the Triumph of Time, but one she shows is the closest cognate image I have seen to the earliest tarot images -

Cohen simply describes the image as "North Italian illumination, 1459", with its location in the Österriechische Nationalbibliothek, Vind. 2649, fol. 46r.

Comparing it to the set of related tarot cards:

I couldn't find a better image of the manuscript, but another author made an allusion to the work and gave some other details. Enrico Maria dal Pozzolo, "Laura tra Polia e Berenice di Lorenzo Lotto" (Artibus et historiae, 13, no. 25 (1992) pp. 103-127), informs us that ms. 2649 of the ÖNB was "illuminated in Pesaro by Giovanni da Verona in 1459", and JB Trapp ("Illuminations of Petrarch's Trionfi from Manuscript to Print and Print to Manuscript") adds the detail that the manuscript was made for Borso d'Este (p. 242; but calls the artist "Giacomo da Verona").

Assuming that Dal Pozzolo's information is correct that the manuscript was made in Pesaro, an interesting coincidence results - the Catania deck is more commonly known as the "Alessandro Sforza" tarot, because his heraldic emblem is on the shield of the King of Swords -

(compare to another instance of the same device -

in Carpi)

What is coincidental is that Alessandro Sforza was Lord of Pesaro from 1445-1473, containing the time-frame for the composition of this tarot deck.

The Giovanni (or Giacomo) da Verona image is not an exact match to the cards, but it does show a strikingly similar approach to the allegory of time, and the presumed commissioner of the deck in Catania was Lord of the city when the image was made there, so we could be witnessing a particular fashion of a time corroborating Cohen's observation that the hourglass doesn't become a feature of the allegory until the 1450s.

Ross

 

[Huck]

Nice picture.

But likely we cannot take the production of the deck as limited to 1473, as it could have been mater later by Allessandro Sforza's successor (husband of Camilla of Aragon for instance).

The differences between this deck and the other (Charles VI) is remarkable. Two trumps match and the other both not. Perhaps we can think of "two decks" or of replacement cards" or of "special wishes" of the commissioner. The Chariot in the Charles VI had possibly Medici heraldic, so it's perhaps naturally, that this card was modified for a foreign owner. But the strange Temperance ...

 

[Ross G Caldwell]

When Cohen says that Temperance has an hourglass, she is referring to Ambrogio Lorenzetti's "Allegoria del buon governo" (1337-1339) -

This comes from the Sala della pace in the Palazzo Pubblico. The entire image is widely available on the web, for example here -
http://www.usm.maine.edu/eng/lorenzetti allegor1.jpe

Ross

 

[Ross G Caldwell]

But likely we cannot take the production of the deck as limited to 1473, as it could have been mater later by Allessandro Sforza's successor (husband of Camilla of Aragon for instance).

I didn't mean "limited to" when I wrote "contained" - I just meant that Alessandro's rulership of the city contained the time-frame of the painting of the deck. The opinion has always been that this deck is 1450-1460, not based on conjectures about the hourglass but the style of the deck itself, and the relation to the "Charles VI" (e.g. the Chariot seems more "real", i.e. related to actual processions, more primitive).

I don't understand how you could casually date it so late - except for copies of the V-S perhaps, I don't think any of the hand-painted luxury cards date later than the 1470s (for example the Ercole d'Este - which generally gets the c. 1474 date).

The differences between this deck and the other (Charles VI) is remarkable. Two trumps match and the other both not. Perhaps we can think of "two decks" or of replacement cards" or of "special wishes" of the commissioner. The Chariot in the Charles VI had possibly Medici heraldic, so it's perhaps naturally, that this card was modified for a foreign owner. But the strange Temperance ...

I agree that the differences we can see are really different - but there isn't much. The similarities are more striking than the differences. We don't know that the Nude with Stag card was Temperance.

And the numbering of the cards (whenever it was done), both in Arabic and Roman numbers, is the same. They came from the same place, and had the same style. That is sure. And they reflect a southern ("A") sensibility, but one different from the printed version.

Ross

 

[Huck]

I didn't mean "limited to" when I wrote "contained" - I just meant that Alessandro's rulership of the city contained the time-frame of the painting of the deck. The opinion has always been that this deck is 1450-1460, not based on conjectures about the hourglass but the style of the deck itself, and the relation to the "Charles VI" (e.g. the Chariot seems more "real", i.e. related to actual processions, more primitive).

Hm. I don't know of 1450-1460 ... for the Castle Ursino deck? When the Charles VI. deck was calculated for ca. 1470 earlier, why should the Castle Ursino deck with an origin have been earlier? A small location like Pesaro as the origin, and an active procuction city like Ferrara imitating it?

I don't understand how you could casually date it so late - except for copies of the V-S perhaps, I don't think any of the hand-painted luxury cards date later than the 1470s (for example the Ercole d'Este - which generally gets the c. 1474 date).

What kind of deck we have for Ferrara 1516? It seems the price has fallen then considerably, although it's still "not cheap". Perhaps these cards had a curiosity "old-fashioned" character then. And likely these decks were for the French invaders, who were interested then.

I think, that Bianca Maria Sforza went to Maximilian still with a deck in the manner of the old style. That was 1493/94. Likely the handpainted playing card culture went down in these years with the fall of Milan ... together with the book-painting culture.

Somehow in the 70'ies the experimental stage was nearly over and the decision went towards the 22-version, which became the object for the printed decks. But I would say in the late 70's.

In the case of the Florentine decks we see that an export took place in the 70's to Rome and the Southern parts of the country (to which this sort of deck was still a novelty) ... and we've only this note from 1465 in Mantova.
Pesaro is in the Southern part of Italy and if I see this correctly, the son of Alessandro Sforza had a triumphal occasion in 1475 ... so it's a question, if this deck came later, although the motifs are earlier.

I agree that the differences we can see are really different - but there isn't much. The similarities are more striking than the differences. We don't know that the Nude with Stag card was Temperance.

... When you have a bottle with beer and you could state, that it is half full, then it's just the moment, where you could also state, that it is half empty ...

And the numbering of the cards (whenever it was done), both in Arabic and Roman numbers, is the same. They came from the same place, and had the same style. That is sure. And they reflect a southern ("A") sensibility, but one different from the printed version.

Ross

Well, this is a good observation.

 

[Rosanne]

Hi Ross- ysour Good Government fresco, is the earliest image that there is of an hour glass thus far discovered- the earliest text was from a ships stores list that says 'pro X11 orogiss vitreis' in 1345 -46. But in the 13th Century the passage of time of the I/2 hours was with a 1/2 hour glass and a bell (hence 8 Bells for a shift on the wheel) It was called 'the turning of the glass' These were imported from Constantinople. Then when Florence discovered Cristalla clear glass 1450ish They got the trade. So I would not expect them to be in frescos any earlier as they were 'seaglass' not land glass.
In several woodcuts- I think the Toggenburg Bible there is a woodcut of Death with an HourGlass and have seen several gravestone pictures with Hourglasses on them.
I thought the hourglass in the Hermit of the Charles V1 was a sermonglass- very common in churches from 1450 onwards. I also thought aside from Temperance, that the hourglass in Art symbolised 'Repeated History or History happening again' sort of context, as well as the conventional 'sands are sinking' type analogy. OOps I meant to add before 1450 the glass was so opaque you could not see through it so the sand inside was Mineral iron or a dark colour to show the passage of time. ~Rosanne
Edited to add: Francesco da Baberino mentions an hourglass in his Documenti D'amore and in one of his poems 1348?

 

[Ross G Caldwell]

Hi Rosanne,

Hi Ross- ysour Good Government fresco, is the earliest image that there is of an hour glass thus far discovered-

Good, this is what I gathered from Cohen's comments that I quoted below (or above, depending on your settings).

the earliest text was from a ships stores list that says 'pro X11 orogiss vitreis' in 1345 -46. But in the 13th Century the passage of time of the I/2 hours was with a 1/2 hour glass and a bell (hence 8 Bells for a shift on the wheel) It was called 'the turning of the glass' These were imported from Constantinople. Then when Florence discovered Cristalla clear glass 1450ish They got the trade. So I would not expect them to be in frescos any earlier as they were 'seaglass' not land glass.

Interesting background. Can you please give us the references to all this information (i.e. where you got it from)?

In several woodcuts- I think the Toggenburg Bible there is a woodcut of Death with an HourGlass and have seen several gravestone pictures with Hourglasses on them.
I thought the hourglass in the Hermit of the Charles V1 was a sermonglass- very common in churches from 1450 onwards. I also thought aside from Temperance, that the hourglass in Art symbolised 'Repeated History or History happening again' sort of context, as well as the conventional 'sands are sinking' type analogy. OOps I meant to add before 1450 the glass was so opaque you could not see through it so the sand inside was Mineral iron or a dark colour to show the passage of time.

In Lorenzetti's fresco the glass looks pretty clear, and the "sand" inside is white. Maybe they already had clear glass by then?

Edited to add: Francesco da Baberino mentions an hourglass in his Documenti D'amore and in one of his poems 1348?

I've been looking online, but I can't find any complete works of his. Can you give us the references?

(edited to add: I found an 1815 edition of Barberino's works on googlebooks -
http://books.google.fr/books?id=wbJDAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA168&dq=barberino++docvmenti#PPP7,M1
but looking under "orologio" and "clessidra" doesn't find anything...)

Thanks!

Ross

 

[Ross G Caldwell]

As much as the similarities between the Giacomo/Giovanni/Stefano da Verona and the Charles VI, Catania, and Visconti-Sforza "Old Man" (yes, I'm changing the generic name from "Hermit") might excite comparison and even a suggestion of historical relationship, their differences should inspire contrasting.

The Old Men of the three tarot decks is clad sumptuously, with a belt, while the Petrarchan figure has a single, plain, unbelted robe. While all might be considered itinerant and rejecting the world (the landscape makes it clear), none is an itinerant monk (Franciscan or Dominican) or has any sign of religion on them.

The tarot images suggest to me an image of Crates (or Krates), the rich heir who gave away his wealth to live simply. This was Cynic wisdom (Crates' teacher was usually held to be Diogenes). In position 11, after the Chariot (who is numbered 10 in both numbered sets), he is perhaps best interpreted as the man who had everything who rejects all worldly glory in the end. In the Charles VI and Rosenwald (a different iconography here, obviously, but go with it for the moment), the Hanged Man following is holding what seem to be bags of money. This might be saying "If you don't give it up willingly, it will be taken from you anyway".

The best quote I have found for this thought comes from a Jewish commentary on Ecclesiastes (Qohelet Rabbah) -"Do not lust after imaginary honor, for it is worthless,and time is a traitor: it is like scales, which lift the light and lower the weighty."
http://www.pirchei.co.il/specials/gra/gra.htm
But in any case, the whole image could be taken as the "mood" of that book of the Bible, and perhaps the symbol, unique at the time, reflects a conflation of the Crates figure with the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes (in the Petrarch image, there is a Sun-chariot, for instance "there is nothing new under the Sun, all is vanity", etc.)

The more usual tarot image for this figure is also the older (although only slightly, judging by Cohen's study) - he is represented as an old man on crutches, usually with wings (tempus fugit) and an antique pillar (ubi sunt).

Just some thoughts on the differences...

Ross

 

[Rosanne]

This site is just about word for word from a book on Maritime History
http://www.hourglasses.com/html/brief_history.html

This is a good site for pictures. The book I have does not date the pictures or instruments either. The top picture would be the glass of the fresco of Good Government- green and opaque- before Cristalla was worked out,
http://szabo.best.vwh.net/synch.html

The book I have is a collection of Essays and amazing Pictures
Maritime History as World History. Edited by DANIEL FINAMORE. In it are the pictures from the above site I linked (nothing is dated :frown
~Rosanne
Trivia: Magellan had 18 I/2 Hour sandglasses on his ship in 1519- From Venice I believe.

 

[Rosanne]

The idea that time on earth should be spent honoring God is of course central to the medieval Book of Hours, and other woodcuts of the seasons etc. Examples from the 15th century include Paolo Uccello's 1443 fresco for the clock face of Florence Cathedral which features the haloed heads of the four evangelists, while the hour hand combines the form of the cross from which a burst of light radiates like the light of the sun. Time is not lost when it is spent honouring God.

Given the focus of things like The Adoration of the Magi and the Northern Italian City states and their King like rule- I wonder if these two 'old Men' represent The Miracle of God's turning back time to reward King Hezekiah for his faith? This image was common in Books of Hours- but usually showed a water clock.When Hezekiah returned to his city from exile he was remembered by God and given 15 extra years for his Faith. (Kings 2)He was a good king, following the example of his great-grandfather Uzziah. He introduced religious reform, reinstated religious traditions.

Then there is Francescus Petrarch's letters- the dialogue between Reason and Sorrow about the loss of time....This old man is only worth 15 shekels dedicated to God, so turn back time and give me a better value (50 shekels)(Leviticus)
~Rosanne