Re: The Grand Design of Francesco Sforza

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I might mention my Latin is poor and my Italian worse; I have been reading different years of celebration of 'Festa del Perdono' or the feast of forgiveness in celebration pamphlets, short essays, and small publications. Including those of the history of Ca' Grande or the Hospital of Mercy called Ospedale Maggiore.
I have come to the conclusion that the history of the Ospedale- goes back even further than I thought- before 1456 as I had originally thought. In fact I think Sforza had this idea at the beginning of the Ambrosian Republic and goes to the idea that these handpainted cards were taken from an existing deck of cards and made to be non -gambling sets to sell and the money going to the Ambrose fund - a non mercantile type of Bank.

It came about from the 1447 question of succession "the Milan Question' and the fact of four suitors to it. It was not long before the Milan government decided to restore Magistrature del vecchio Comune and the new aristocracy of bankers, merchants and the wealthy looked upon this with a 'di malocchio' an evil eye Lol. They called upon Saint Ambrose to witness who were enemies of Church and City and there was a spontanous birth of the Ambrose Republic - born out of the natural death of the Lordship of Visconti. So four eminent citizens would stand for each of the six gates of Milan- to help with a smooth transistion and the mayor was reinstated. There was an attempt of a coup by Nobles who took over the towers waving their flags. I did not quite understand this.....
sulle torri del Castello; quest'ultimo fu preso d'as-as- salto e abbattuto from the towers they jumped down and were shot????
Anyways the result was that 17,000 gold florins were captured and the furniture, clothes and Jewellery to be sold by auction of said Nobles would bring the Ambrose fund to 200,000 gold florins. There was not to be taxes on the citizens. It was not envisioned that the City would be inundated by a great influx from the devasted countryside caused by both the Milanese and Ventian armies -poor, sick, wounded,fatherless children, women both lay and religious. They were also very hungry.All the golden knights were requested to.......

Re: The Grand Design of Francesco Sforza

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.......go seek out places to house the poor, hungry and sick and told not to loot and steal. So these so called Gentlemen Deputies were also to stop the pratica dei privilegi, degli abusi, delle malversazioni, (practice of privileges, abuse and embezzelment) were they found it and give severe punishment. They were also required to use the edict against gambling and blasphemy and fine those guilty.
This is what the words were.....
con gli editti contro il carta gioco d'azzardo e la bestemmia with the edicts against the card or paper?game of gambling and blasphemy??
Then they were charged with the Ambrosian Republic statement about the political intention to 'lift morality'
by any means in an elevated way (Vituous??)within their expertise as merchants, guildworkers, printers and eminent citizens, and put the money raised into the Ambrose fund.
Today on the Feast of Forgiveness, the same thing happens- craft makers, painters, etc every second year have a bazzar- and miniatures of patrons are painted and sold, wealthy benefactors sponsor artwork all to aid the Ospedale Maggiore.
~Lorredan
The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
Eden Phillpotts

Re: The Grand Design of Francesco Sforza

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Lorredan wrote: In fact I think Sforza had this idea at the beginning of the Ambrosian Republic and goes to the idea that these handpainted cards were taken from an existing deck of cards and made to be non -gambling sets to sell and the money going to the Ambrose fund - a non mercantile type of Bank.
In the case, that Trionfi cards were event decks (which they at some times might have been, but likely not always), a use of the income for social purposes can't be excluded. But I would doubt, that this was always the case, and especially not for the common market.
Huck
http://trionfi.com

Re: The Grand Design of Francesco Sforza

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Aye, you are right Huck.
I cannot see these cards been sold. Maybe Sforza bought them back himself- that was not unusual. It was a great event through the laying of the foundation stone. Typical of the times.They said they were poor- but these events must have been costly. I do wonder what the miniatures were that were sold in 1454, 1456... and I can believe that sets of cards were sold, maybe copies and embellished. Maybe that is what Cary Yale sheet types were all about; each printer made his own variety and that is why we cannot see uniformity? It was only over three days every two years- not too much of a burden in one sense.
The Feast of Forgiveness at least makes sense for the Hanged Man Card- I might add this feast was also in Siena at an earlier date- also in other City states- where the sale of indulgences were considered very poor form.Hence my belief that the Bateleur was selling Indulgences in those Tarot de Marseille-ish cards. Milan is the only City where it is a big event- then and now. It seems it was a way Popes could get the City to raise money without handing out money themselves. The ultimate fund raiser eh? The cards of the Visconti suit the idea of the Feast and Hospital in Milan and elevating morality and uplifting the spirits. It did not stop the gambling- the big spenders just hopped across to Venice........
~Lorredan
The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
Eden Phillpotts

Re: The Grand Design of Francesco Sforza

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Lorredan wrote:Aye, you are right Huck.
I cannot see these cards been sold. Maybe Sforza bought them back himself- that was not unusual. It was a great event through the laying of the foundation stone. Typical of the times.They said they were poor- but these events must have been costly. I do wonder what the miniatures were that were sold in 1454, 1456... and I can believe that sets of cards were sold, maybe copies and embellished. Maybe that is what Cary Yale sheet types were all about; each printer made his own variety and that is why we cannot see uniformity? It was only over three days every two years- not too much of a burden in one sense.
The Feast of Forgiveness at least makes sense for the Hanged Man Card- I might add this feast was also in Siena at an earlier date- also in other City states- where the sale of indulgences were considered very poor form.Hence my belief that the Bateleur was selling Indulgences in those Tarot de Marseille-ish cards. Milan is the only City where it is a big event- then and now. It seems it was a way Popes could get the City to raise money without handing out money themselves. The ultimate fund raiser eh? The cards of the Visconti suit the idea of the Feast and Hospital in Milan and elevating morality and uplifting the spirits. It did not stop the gambling- the big spenders just hopped across to Venice........
~Lorredan
Well, if one made an event deck, then there could be just only one deck ... for the bride for instance, if the event was a marriage. But naturally there could be also one very elegant deck, some more rather elegant (for the rich participants) and a bigger number of cheaper decks (for the common public). Or just a local playing card designer discovered the good opportunity to sell something and prepared a few decks for this opportunity. Markets and great festivities mobilize the local business world to have some profit inside the festivities ... that was likely always so.

Unluckily we have not enough confirmation for this behavior.
Huck
http://trionfi.com

Re: The Grand Design of Francesco Sforza

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Unluckily we have not enough confirmation for this behavior.
Well maybe we have a little clue.
On post 6 of this thread I linked a painting on a pamphlet for the festa del perdono and underneath the painting of the Ospedale maggiore is a painting of Francesco Sforza and Bianca with a Pope and Cardinals in front of a design of the Hospital.
It is not Pope Pius 11 and Cardinal Enrico Rampini as is mentioned in all these pamphlets.
Giorgio Cosmacini in his article on Ca'Grande 2011 mentions how annoyed Sforza was with Cardinal Rampini as he had these paintings done for the opening (1450) but he was away in Rome for a Jubilee for Pope Nicholas V who was Pope
from 1447-1455. So that Pope Nicholas, is who is in that painting (and other paintings) with Cardinal Rampini who dies in Rome in 1450.
Lol the plans of Mice and Men......
The next Archbishop of Milan after Rampini was Giovanni 111 Visconti 1450-1453- who said he encouraged the Building of the Hospital.
After him came Gabrielle Sforza who was archbishop of Milan 1454- 1457- who said he encouraged the building of the Hospital.
It was Pope Nicholas V who was at the signing of the peace of Lodi in 1454.
He died in 1455 and once again Sforza's celebration for the Hospital was delayed...
Pope Pius 111 was next and he did come to Milan in 1456/7 and gave the Indulgence right which had been planned since 1450, and was going to be given by Nicholas V and Cardinal Rampini.
So then we have Malatesta asking Bianca for a deck of triumphs in 1452. Does it not seeem strange that he would ask Bianca for a deck?
Maybe this is a little clue.
~Lorredan
The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
Eden Phillpotts

Re: The Grand Design of Francesco Sforza

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Here is a painting of Nicholas V who is in the paintings comissioned by Sforza- but who was dead by the time the foundation stone was finally laid.
220px-Paus_Nicolaas_V_door_Peter_Paul_Rubens.jpg 220px-Paus_Nicolaas_V_door_Peter_Paul_Rubens.jpg Viewed 8449 times 20.94 KiB
The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
Eden Phillpotts

Re: The Grand Design of Francesco Sforza

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Here is a painting of Pius 11- the Pope who was supposed to have opened the Celebrations of the Ospedale in 1456/7- but he was not even Pope until 19th August 1458.....very strange that paintings show him in Milan when he was not yet a Pope.
He is famous though for a very un-pope like Authorship. He wrote an erotic novel called "A Tale of Two Lovers" and that became very widely read. Tut Tut! These guys were very strange Christians.
397px-Pintoricchio_014.jpg 397px-Pintoricchio_014.jpg Viewed 8446 times 79.48 KiB
The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
Eden Phillpotts