A thread to discuss the iconography of The Hermit

From a post by Ross on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=334&start=70

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.

I have a big favour to ask of someone (like Robert) who has enlarging skills.
The PMB Visconti Hermit that is on the top of this board; could that somebody enlarge the area of the coat/robe below the cord in line with the left leg. It is, what in the photo reproduction looks like darker blue markings.
I am looking for(what I think is there) is a blue box with scriptures rolled up inside. It hangs on a fine string from the cord at the waist. It should have two three blue Pmegranates as well.
I think the PMB Hermit is a Jew.
Many thanks if you can help.
~Lorredan

This is the largest online version that I know of:



Hope it helps.

If he was an orthodox Jew he would have the prayer scrolls in his tefillin which would be under his hat on his head and we would not see them... the only clue would be perhaps tallit showing below his robes... but then we would have to assume he is a married man and well his wife would probably be upset if he was off 'Hermiting"

Hi Nicole- I do not think he is an orthodox- just a Pawnbroker/Jewish Lombard (Banker)- from thence a Goldsmith- I think you might find three blue pomegranates hanging where three gold coins would formerly might have been.
He is not named in the Visconti. Le Ore is hours and Dall' Ore-fice is goldsmith. Any interest charged was called Usury- not how it is understood today. Christian were forbidden to loan money annd charge interest- so the Jewish moneylenders were very important and time was by year for interest. The stem on the red hat is a first clue- and I cannot quite see what that is on his robe- but it looks like three round things by a box like thing- which they hung from their waist cords. The Blue is another clue- from the Hewbrew writings to wear a blue wool robe dyed with chilazon, the dye is called Tekhelet (the same blue is on the Isreali flag)
I guess if I am right a maxim for this card might be Time is money and I might call it 'Usurio or MoneyLender.
BUT........I cannot enlarge the area on the card even with the large card posted by Robert- yet with a magnifying glass on the photo reproduction you can almost see the three balls(pomegranates). Without evidence to the contrary- they could be patches on a Hermit's coat. Very expensive for a Hermit as was the tekhelet -very expensive.
~Lorredan

These two cards were found in 1985 at the Bibiotheque Nationale in Paris and published by Dummett in "Il Mondo e l'Angelo". According to Dummett, "there is no reason to doubt that these two cards belong to a Milanese deck of the last two decades of the XV Century".

GREAT ...

... :-) I wonder, how it could take so long, that they come to the surface ...

Is there some more information to the finding?

Thank you marco for those two cards. Interestingly, there is a purse on the Hermit's belt with what seems to be three balls as embellishments hanging from the bottom of the purse.
I wonder if I am correct that the Hermit was a Lombard Banker?

~Lorredan

I always thought that was a great surmise

What's that on the ground to his left?