Schoen's astrological calendar (1515)
Posted: 24 Mar 2013, 13:31
In “The Encyclopedia of Tarot”, v.II, p.157, Kaplan, quoting Robert O'Neill, presents a 1515 engraving by Erhard Schoen. I found a 2003 comment by Michael J. Hurst about this image:
On ATF, Kwaw has noted that “the depiction of the sign Cancer is very much like that of the moon card, more crayfish than crablike”.
Here are the details of the images of the 12 Houses, with textual descriptions taken from a Renaissance essay about Geomancy erroneously attributed to Einrich Cornelius Agrippa.
William Lilly's longer descriptions of the twelve houses are available here.
1st House: The first House sheweth the person of the Querent, as often as a question shall be proposed concerning himself of his own matters, or any thing appertaining to him. And this House declareth the Judgement of the life, form, state, condition, habit, disposition, form and figure, and of the colour of men.
2nd House: The second House containeth the Judgement of substance, riches, poverty, gain and loss, good fortune and evil fortune: and of accidents in substance, as theft, loss or negligence.
3rd House: The third House signifieth brethren, sisters, and Collaterals in blood: It judgeth of small journeys, and fidelities of men.
4th House: The fourth House signifies fathers and grandfathers, patrimony and inheritance, possessions, buildings, fields, treasure, and things hidden: It giveth also the description of those who want any thing by theft, losing, or negligence.
5th House: The fifth House giveth judgement of Legats, Messengers, Rumours, News; of Honour, and of accidents after death: and of Questions that may be propounded concerning women with childe, or creatures pregnant.
6th House: The sixth House giveth Judgement of infirmities, and medicines; of familiars and servants; of cattel and domestick animals.
7th House: The seventh House signifies wedlock, whoredom, and fornication; rendreth Judgement of friends, strifes, and controversies; and of matters acted before Judges.
8th House: The eighth hath signification of death, and of those things which come by death of Legats, and hereditaments; of the dowry or portion of a wife.
9th House: The ninth House sheweth journeys, faith, and constancie; dreams, divine sciences, and Religion.
10th House: The tenth House hath signification of Honours, and of Magisterial Offices.
11th House: The eleventh House signifies friends, and the substance of Princes.
(Guido Bonatti writes that "the 11th house is the house of fortune, faith and hope" - "undecima domus est domus fortune, fiducie atque spei")
12th House: The twelfth House signifies enemies, servants, imprisonment, and misfortune, and whatsoever evil can happen besides death and sickness, the Judgements whereof are to be required in the sixth House, and in the eighth.
Kaplan also notes that “the picture as a whole resembles the World, with a figure reigning over the circle and four beings in the corners”.1515 Germany.
Edward Schoen, a German cardmaker, made a woodcut nativity
calendar for a Leonhard Reymann. The calendar is in the form
of a wheel, with a landscape at the hub, a circle of the seven
planetary deities, a circle of the twelve zodiacal
constellations, and an outermost circle of images representing
the twelve houses. Several images from that outside ring show
subjects also included in the Tarot trumps, such as a wheel, a
reaper, an emperor, a pope, two children playing, and an image
similar to the Lover card in some Tarot de Marseille decks. A figure in
stocks is analogous to the Hanged Man, a punished criminal.
"The resemblance between the houses of the zodiac and several
cards of the tarot indicate that the calendar may have been
modeled after extant tarot decks...." (K II:157, quoting
Robert V. ONeill.)
______________________________________________________________
Considering that Schoen is identified as a cardmaker, the
similarities do suggest a connection between some of the Tarot
images and some of the astrological houses in a particular
chart at least in the eyes of one sixteenth century German
artist. Kaplan also quotes O'Neill as saying, "the calendar
proves a correlation between tarot and astrology", but O'Neill
is not quoted as explaining what that correlation might be, or
how this calendar proves it. The images in question do not
show a close iconographic correspondence with any particular
Tarot deck. The subject matter in question is some of the most
common in late Medieval and Renaissance art: the emperor and
pope, a wheel, a skeletal reaper, and two children playing,
can be used to illustrate an endless number of things other
than astrology, and their adoption here is hardly sufficient
to demonstrate that the Tarot images and sequence were somehow
based on astrology. Whatever lesser "correlation" might exist
seems ill-defined, and scarcely proved, by this calendar. Many
questions are raised which could only be approached with
additional information about Schoen and his work.
On ATF, Kwaw has noted that “the depiction of the sign Cancer is very much like that of the moon card, more crayfish than crablike”.
Here are the details of the images of the 12 Houses, with textual descriptions taken from a Renaissance essay about Geomancy erroneously attributed to Einrich Cornelius Agrippa.
William Lilly's longer descriptions of the twelve houses are available here.
1st House: The first House sheweth the person of the Querent, as often as a question shall be proposed concerning himself of his own matters, or any thing appertaining to him. And this House declareth the Judgement of the life, form, state, condition, habit, disposition, form and figure, and of the colour of men.
2nd House: The second House containeth the Judgement of substance, riches, poverty, gain and loss, good fortune and evil fortune: and of accidents in substance, as theft, loss or negligence.
3rd House: The third House signifieth brethren, sisters, and Collaterals in blood: It judgeth of small journeys, and fidelities of men.
4th House: The fourth House signifies fathers and grandfathers, patrimony and inheritance, possessions, buildings, fields, treasure, and things hidden: It giveth also the description of those who want any thing by theft, losing, or negligence.
5th House: The fifth House giveth judgement of Legats, Messengers, Rumours, News; of Honour, and of accidents after death: and of Questions that may be propounded concerning women with childe, or creatures pregnant.
6th House: The sixth House giveth Judgement of infirmities, and medicines; of familiars and servants; of cattel and domestick animals.
7th House: The seventh House signifies wedlock, whoredom, and fornication; rendreth Judgement of friends, strifes, and controversies; and of matters acted before Judges.
8th House: The eighth hath signification of death, and of those things which come by death of Legats, and hereditaments; of the dowry or portion of a wife.
9th House: The ninth House sheweth journeys, faith, and constancie; dreams, divine sciences, and Religion.
10th House: The tenth House hath signification of Honours, and of Magisterial Offices.
11th House: The eleventh House signifies friends, and the substance of Princes.
(Guido Bonatti writes that "the 11th house is the house of fortune, faith and hope" - "undecima domus est domus fortune, fiducie atque spei")
12th House: The twelfth House signifies enemies, servants, imprisonment, and misfortune, and whatsoever evil can happen besides death and sickness, the Judgements whereof are to be required in the sixth House, and in the eighth.