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Re: The Tarot de Paris (The Parisian Tarot)

Posted: 24 Mar 2010, 17:38
by SteveM
Pen wrote:... although as the Pope in this deck seems straightforward...
Well, apart from the presence of the Sphinx on the Pope, which is peculiar to this deck.
Ross G. R. Caldwell wrote: Thanks for noting that book, Steve! I have ordered a copy. I love old pornographic literature.
There was also a 19th century bilingual Italian/French edition:

La Cazzaria: Dialogue Priapic de L’Arsiccio Intronato (Paris: Lisieux, 1882)

You might also find of interest:

David O. Frantz, Festum Voluptatis: A study of Renaissance Erotica (Columbus: Ohio University Press, 1989)

Ed. Lynn Hunt, The Invention of Pornography: Obscenity and the Origins of Modernity, 1500-1800 (New York: Zone, 1993)

Re: The Tarot de Paris (The Parisian Tarot)

Posted: 25 Mar 2010, 14:14
by Pen
SteveM wrote:
Pen wrote:... although as the Pope in this deck seems straightforward...
Well, apart from the presence of the Sphinx on the Pope, which is peculiar to this deck.
Yes, there's the Sphinx. I was thinking more of the Pope himself - nothing satirical about his person that I can see - unless (as you suggest?) the inscrutable Sphinx hints at something. With an artist/designer who places little upside-down faces below the knees of the King of Swords though (and they don't look like armour/protective clothing), anything might be possible.

Pen

Re: The Tarot de Paris (The Parisian Tarot)

Posted: 22 Apr 2010, 15:08
by Pen
I've been re-reading Andrea Vitali's excellent Iconological essays. This is a paragraph from The High Priestess.
From the 17th century onwards, the High Priestess has always been represented seated, with a book in her hands, while a drape generally frames the upper part of the figure, as in the Vieville tarot (figure 5). This image has been taken over from the iconography of the legendary Pope Joan as it appears in the chapter which Jacques Philippe Forest dedicates to her in his De claris selectisque mulieribus (1494) (figure 6). This image becomes finally stabilized in the later cards and in the Marseilles Tarot (figure 7). In Renaissance was widespread belief that Popess Joan was represented in this card. In the work Le Carte Parlanti (The Speaking Cards) by Pietro Aretino the cards, discussing on the meanings of the triumphs, say that “The Popess means the shrewdness of those who defraud our being with falsehoods that fake us” that is to say that the female pope is placed to represent those who deceive with facts or words that are false, however, believed as true (On the work The Speaking Cards, please, read the essay Theatre of Brain).
If that understanding of The Popess held true when the deck was created, the words I've highlighted in blue may give an insight into the Tarot de Paris designer's mind when he created this particular card. Whether she's intended to represent Faith, Pope Joan, Canonical Law, the Church or something else; whether she's balancing the book in that way out of distaste or because her posture is deliberately provocative and flirtatious, it seems possible, if not likely (according to the statement quoted by Vitali) that falsity/unreliability (also of the female sex?) is what the artist/designer of the Paris deck was illustrating in his idiosyncratic depiction. Perhaps the designer was showing the viewer the Popess revealed as her true self.

Image


Pen

Re: The Tarot de Paris (The Parisian Tarot)

Posted: 24 Apr 2010, 14:55
by Pen
Looking for something completely different, I came upon a Ship of Fools woodcut, Of Nightly Serenades:
"He who covets Minstrel's ways/And serenades at night before women's doors/Also invites the frost to sting."
Is it possible, I wonder, that the Tarot de Paris Moon card was based on this woodcut from Das Narrenschiff?

https://imgur.com/hZnasH0

The Narrenschiff illustration is from Brian Williams' Book of Fools.

If the artist had used the Ship of Fools woodcut to copy loosely from, this would explain the reversal of the image.


Pen

Re: The Tarot de Paris (The Parisian Tarot)

Posted: 24 Apr 2010, 15:14
by mmfilesi
:) :ymapplause: :ymapplause:

Great, Pen!

Re: The Tarot de Paris (The Parisian Tarot)

Posted: 26 Apr 2010, 11:49
by Robert
Pen wrote:Looking for something completely different, I came upon a Ship of Fools woodcut, Of Nightly Serenades:
"He who covets Minstrel's ways/And serenades at night before women's doors/Also invites the frost to sting."
Is it possible, I wonder, that the Tarot de Paris Moon card was based on this woodcut from Das Narrenschiff?



The Narrenschiff illustration is from Brian Williams' Book of Fools.

If the artist had used the Ship of Fools woodcut to copy loosely from, this would explain the reversal of the image.


Pen
Hi Pen,

This is a lovely find. Thank you.

I tried to find more about the image, and found the Project Gutenberg translation that certainly puts a very particular meaning on this depiction:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20179/20 ... h.htm#p296

Of nyght watchers and beters of the stretes playnge by nyght on instrumentes and vsynge lyke Folyes whan tyme is to rest.

He is a Fole that wandreth by nyght
In felde or towne, in company or alone
Playnge at his lemmans dore withouten lyght
Tyll all his body be colde as lede or stone
These folys knockynge tyll the nyght be gone
At that season thoughe that they fele no colde
Shall it repent and fele whan they be olde.


------------------------------------------------------------

Nowe wolde I of my boke haue made an ende
And with my shyp drawen to some hauen or porte
Stryken my sayle, and all my folys sende
Vnto the londe, a whyle them selfe to sporte
But this my purpose is lettyd by a sorte
Of frantyke folys, wandrynge about by nyght
For often all yll doers hatyth the day lyght

Whyle (man) beste and euery lyuely creature
Refresshe theyr myndes and bodyes with rest
And slepe: without the whiche none can endure
And whyle all byrdes drawe them to theyr nest
These dronken bandes of Folys than doth Jest
About the stretis, with rumour noyse and cry
Syngynge theyr folysshe songes of rybawdry

The furyes ferefull spronge of the flodes of hell
Vexith these vagabundes in theyr myndes so
That by no mean can they abyde ne dwell
Within theyr howsys, but out they nede must go
More wyldly wandrynge than outher bucke or doo
Some with theyr harpis another with his lute
Another with his bagpype or a folysshe flute

Than mesure they theyr songes of melody
Before the dores of theyr lemman dere
Yowlynge with theyr folysshe songe and cry
So that theyr lemman may theyr great foly here
And tyll the yordan make them stande arere
Cast on theyr hede, or tyll the stonys fle
They nat depart, but couet there styll to be

But yet more ouer these Folys ar so vnwyse
That in colde wynter they vse the same madnes
Whan all the howsys ar lade with snowe and yse
O mad men amasyd vnstabyll and wytles
What pleasour take ye in this your folysshenes
What ioy haue ye to wander thus by nyght
Saue that yll doers alway hate the lyght

But folysshe youth doth nat alone this vse
Come of lowe byrth and sympyll of degre
But also statis them selfe therein abuse
With some yonge folys of the spiritualte
The folysshe pype without all grauyte
Doth eche degre call to this frantyke game
The darkenes of nyght expellyth fere of shame

One barkyth another bletyth lyke a shepe
Some rore, some countre, some theyr balades fayne
Another from syngynge gyueth hym to wepe
Whan his souerayne lady hath of hym dysdayne
Or shyttyth hym out, and to be short and playne
Who that of this sort best can play the knaue
Lokyth of the other the maystery to haue

The folysshe husbonde oft of this sort is one
With wanton youth wandrynge by nyght also
Leuynge his wyfe at home in bed alone
And gyueth hyr occasyon often to mysdo
So that whyle he after the owle doth go
Fedynge the Couko, his wyfe hir tyme doth watche
Receyuynge another whose egges she doth hatche.

Therfore ye folys that knowe you of this sort
To gyue occasyon of synne vnto your wyues
And all other: I you pray and exort
Of this your foly to amende your lyues
For longe nyght watches seldome tymes thryues
But if it be in labour: good to wyn
Therfore kepe your dorys: els abyde within

Thoughe I have touchyd of this enormyte
In englysshe tunge: yet is it nat so vsed
In this Royalme as it is beyonde the se
Yet moche we vse whiche ought to be refusyd
Of great nyght watchynge we may nat be excusyd
But our watchynge is in drunken glotony
More than in syngynge or other meledy

Whan it is nyght and eche shulde drawe to rest
Many of our folys great payne and watchynge take
To proue maystryes and se who may drynke best
Outher at the Tauerne of wyne, or the ale stake
Other all nyght watchyth for theyr lemmans sake
Standynge in corners lyke as it were a spye
Whether that the weder be, hote, colde, wete, or dry

Some other Folys range about by nyght
Prowdely Jettynge as men myndeles or wode
To seke occasyon with pacyent men to fyght
Delytynge them in shedynge mennys blode
Outher els in spoylynge of other mennys gode
Let these folys with suche lyke and semblable
Drawe to this barge, here shall they here a bable

Ye folys that put your bodyes vnto payne
By nyghtly watchynge, voyde of auauntage
Leue of your foly or els ye shall complayne
And mourne it sore if ye lyue vnto age
For though ye thynke that this your blynde outrage
Is vnto you no hurte nor preiudyce
It doth your body and goodes great dammage
And great cause both to you and yours of vyce.

=========================================================
=========================================================

I also found a slightly clearer version, supposedly this is by Durer?
Image


So, not a romantic scene at all, rather, a very strict warning about going out at night, singing, drinking, dancing and making music. You'll regret it. If not because of what your wife is up to in your absence, then in your old age when the cold gets you.

I love tarot history.

Re: The Tarot de Paris (The Parisian Tarot)

Posted: 26 Apr 2010, 13:44
by Pen
Wonderful, Robert! I love these lines:

More wyldly wandrynge than outher bucke or doo
Some with theyr harpis another with his lute
Another with his bagpype or a folysshe flute


So it's the flute that's foolish... :grin:

Theres a harp on the Paris card too, and the Durer woodcut is much clearer - thanks.

So, if the artist/designer was using the Ship of Fools illustration on which to base his/her design, it could indicate either that it was simply a convenient depiction of the moon (and the moon certainly has more presence on the Paris card), or that the meaning of the card (if it had more than a superficial one) was a warning against being ...a Fole that wandreth by nyght...

I love tarot history too!

Pen

Re: The Tarot de Paris (The Parisian Tarot)

Posted: 26 Apr 2010, 20:23
by debra
Our friend Bertrand compares two different facsimile editions of this deck on his blog: http://du-tarot.blogspot.com/

The Pope and the Sphinx

Posted: 05 Jun 2010, 12:09
by Pen
This image is from the Triompho di Fortuna di Sigismondo Fanti Ferrarrese, although the figure seems to be dressed as a bishop rather than a pope.

https://imgur.com/sLwBe8j
Image
And in addition to what has already been posted about the meaning of the Sphinx:

Ripa,1, 1764, p.27 (Perspicacity)
The allegorical figure representing Perspicacity is Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom. According to Piero Valeriano, the Sphinx is a symbol for acuteness of mind, since nothing in the world remains hidden from human (or in her case, superhuman) ingenuity. Yet Alciatus, in Emblem 188 of his Emblemata, considers the Sphinx the symbol of Ignorance conquered by acuteness of mind, since Oedipus guessed her riddle. Her form, made up of three different creatures, represents the three main components of ignorance: her feathered wings stand for frivolity or lightmindedness, her beautiful woman's face and breasts for the lovely voluptuous appearance which misleads the foolish (the Sphinx was very dangerous), and the lion's feet and body for pride (which also leads to foolishness), the lion being the proudest of beasts.
I think it's possible that the designer of the Tarot de Paris may acually have seen the Triompho di Fortuna di Sigismondo Fanti Ferrarrese - in addition to the similarity of the Pope card and this image, many of the figures in the Triompho feature faces, both animal and human, on their clothing, as do the figures in the Tarot de Paris.

Pen

Re: The Pope and the Sphinx

Posted: 05 Jun 2010, 19:01
by marco
Pen wrote:This image is from the Triompho di Fortuna di Sigismondo Fanti Ferrarrese, although the figure seems to be dressed as a bishop rather than a pope.
Hello Pen,
the figure on the left is a Pope (Clemens VII) the one on the right (with the sphinx) is an Emperor (Julius Caesar). Indeed, the crown of the Emperors looks like a tiara, but the globe with the cross is an attribute of empire. In the Triompho, the same figures are used many times, just changing the names written next to them in order to designate different characters.

Marco