http://www.bidiso.es/slp/necspenecmetu.pdf
In this Spanish article (about "nec spe, nec metu") the author lists impresa used by Isabella d'Este.

He also points to the use of the motto by others ... after Isabella d'Este.

The fame of the motto (and of Isabella Este) developed with her diplomatic role during the war of the League of Cambray starting 1508, in the beginning mainly against the republic of Venice, and in the end against France. It has a lot to do with the international negotiations in Mantova, and a time, in which her husband had been prisoner in Venice and Isabella managed the court in Mantova alone.
From this role developed the condition, that Isabella had a leading hand in the organization of the festivities for Massimiliano Sforza in December 1512 ... an so for this card deck also.

She did chose to present herself at the ace of cups (cups = love). The words spe (from Spes = Hope) and metu (= Fear) remember the composition of 4 Stoic passions, which were used by Matteo Maria Boiardo as suit signs in his Tarocchi poem with Love-Hope-Jealousy-Fear. so the position at the Love-Ace (= cups-Ace) has some internal logic.

FEAR then was given with the word TIMORE and not with METU; likely this poem was arranged in January 1487 for Lucrezia d'Este's wedding. Lucrezia had been the elder half-sister of Isabella d'Este.

The poem stands in a row with other literature produced in Ferrara since 1487, in which women are presented as superior to men. As another early work of this genre is given the work of Bartolomeo Goggio 1490 in Ferrara for Eleanore d'Aragon (Isabella's mother) ...
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2 ... 3574333917

As far I get it, the motto was commented "around 1505" by poet Mario Equicola ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Equicola
... who didn't invent the motto, but reacted on the already given use of Isabella d'Este.
Isabella d'Este might have taken it a little bit earlier than 1505. Perhaps it was developed in the preparation on the expected death of Isabella's father Ercole d'Este, which naturally would cause a lot of changes inside the Este family. He died really in January 1505. The following start of the rule of Alfonso d'Este developed in short time to serious attacks, rebellion, murder and lifelong prison ... inside the family. The sleeping tensions likely were already obvious in 1504. The choice of the stoic motto might have reflected these tensions ... and even if it had been stated only in regard of a possible too close relationship between Lucrezia Borgia and Isabella's husband.
But the more relevant conflicts were the conflicts of the brothers and the outside attempts to stimulate these conflicts (by Pope Julius, already in 1504).

Francesco Gonzaga became Venetian prisoner in July 1509. In July 1510 he was released, so long before the deciding actions in 1512, after Venice had turned to an alliance with pope Julius in early 1510.
Francesco got then a leading military commission from the Chiesa against France and Ferrara, as a result of the diplomatic activities of his wife.

********

The deciding point for playing card research and the dating of the deck is the detail, if the motto "nec spe, nec metu" was used by somebody else before 1505. All what I got to the point, is, that the motto wasn't known. It isn't excluded, that it existed before. But it got a lot of attention from different sides, and these researches seem to have gotten nothing better than a start with Isabella d'Este.

The concrete political conditions of the time are surely interesting, inclusive the personal feelings of Isabella d'Este, but not necessary for the dating.

The second interesting point is, if there was another political situation, in which somebody might have developed an interest to make a new Visconti-Sforza deck after 1500 and before 1512 ... I don't see a reason.

He was jailed on several occasions, vandalized his own apartment, and ultimately had a death sentence pronounced against him by the Pope after killing a young man, possibly unintentionally, on May 29, 1606.
An early published notice on him, dating from 1604 and describing his lifestyle three years previously, recounts that "after a fortnight's work he will swagger about for a month or two with a sword at his side and a servant following him, from one ball-court to the next, ever ready to engage in a fight or an argument, so that it is most awkward to get along with him."[8] In 1606 he killed a young man in a brawl and fled from Rome with a price on his head. He was involved in a brawl in Malta in 1608, and another in Naples in 1609, possibly a deliberate attempt on his life by unidentified enemies. This encounter left him severely injured. A year later, at the age of 38, he died under mysterious circumstances in Porto Ercole in Tuscany, reportedly from a fever while on his way to Rome to receive a pardon.

Famous while he lived, Caravaggio was forgotten almost immediately after his death, and it was only in the 20th century that his importance to the development of Western art was rediscovered.

SteveM wrote:

SteveM wrote: Another person who used the motto, albeit in French (but nonetheless which shows it was known pre-Isabelle), was Charles II, Duke of Bourbon (1434 - 1488), who had an emblem of a flaming sword with the motto N’espoir ny peur (neither hope nor fear).

It is also to be found on a 15th century tapestry in the Cathedral of Sens showing the adoration of the magi:

https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=e- ... ir&f=false

From 1472 to 1476, he was incumbent as the papal legate at Avignon though he only arrived there November 23, 1473.[11][12] In May 23, 1474, the Pope Sixtus IV appoints his nephew Giuliano della Rovere as bishop of Avignon, and 2 years later as legate.[12] This set Louis XI and the pope into conflict, with the royal army and papal troops coming to bear. In June 15, 1476,[13] to resolve this difficulty, the king welcomed Giuliano della Rovere at Lyon, so that Charles II accepted the loss of the Avignon legation.[12] This is the reason why, in 1476, he became the administrator of the diocese of Clermont and was made a Cardinal by Sixtus IV.

Huck wrote:IN work

Charles II de Bourbon (1434–September 13, 1488) ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I ... of_Bourbon
... used the motto "N’espoir ny peur (neither hope nor fear)", as reported by Steve Mangan at ...

viewtopic.php?f=11&p=17812#p17801

SteveM wrote:

SteveM wrote: Another person who used the motto, albeit in French (but nonetheless which shows it was known pre-Isabelle), was Charles II, Duke of Bourbon (1434 - 1488), who had an emblem of a flaming sword with the motto N’espoir ny peur (neither hope nor fear).

It is also to be found on a 15th century tapestry in the Cathedral of Sens showing the adoration of the magi:

https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=e- ... ir&f=false

Ludovico was the son of Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga and Paola Malatesta.

Ludovico followed the path of his father, Gianfrancesco, fighting as a condottiero from as early as 1432, when Gianfrancesco was vice-commander of Francesco Bussone's army.[2] In 1433, he married Barbara of Brandenburg,[1] niece of emperor Sigismund.[2]

Starting from 1436 (perhaps without the approval of his father)[2] he entered the service of the Visconti of the Duchy of Milan. The result was that Gianfrancesco exiled Ludovico from Mantua, together with his wife,[2] naming Carlo Gonzaga as heir. However, in 1438 Gianfrancesco himself was hired by the Visconti, and reconciled with Ludovico in 1441.[2] Ludovico succeeded to the marquisate of Mantua in 1444,[3] although part of the family fiefs went to his brothers Carlo, Gianlucido and Alessandro.[2] At the time, the Mantuan state was reduced in size and in poor conditions after years of war and large expenses.[2]

From 1445 to 1450 Ludovico served as condottiero for Milan, Florence, Venice and Naples, switching his allegiance in order to grant the higher level of peace for his lands.[2] In 1448 he took part in the battle of Caravaggio, and was forced to flee. In 1449 he entered the service of Venice in the league formed with Florence against Milan. In 1450 he received permission to lead an army for King Alfonso of Naples in Lombardy, with the intent of gaining some possessions for himself. However, Francesco Sforza, the new duke of Milan, enticed him with the promise of Lonato, Peschiera and Asola, formerly Mantuan territories but then part of Venice. Venice responded by sacking Castiglione delle Stiviere (1452) and hiring Ludovico's brother, Carlo.[3]

On 14 June 1453 Ludovico routed the troops of Carlo at Goito, but Venetian troops under Niccolò Piccinino thwarted any attempt to regain Asola. The Peace of Lodi (1454) obliged Ludovico to give back all his conquests, and to renounce definitively his claim to the three cities.[3] However, he obtained his brother's land after Carlo's childless death in 1456.

La camera era destinata, come tutte quelle del piano terreno, ad ospitare quanti venivano a rendere visita al marchese. La decorazione presenta lo stesso schema che caratterizza tutti gli ambienti destinati ad abitazione: al centro della volta a padiglione l’impresa del sole, legata alla figura di Ludovico Gonzaga, padre di Francesco. L’impresa, assunta da Ludovico dopo la battaglia di Caravaggio del 1448, raffigura il sole splendente con un cartiglio recante il motto “PAR UN DESIR” intrecciato ai raggi. L’immagine simbolica si ricollega al repertorio religioso nel quale il sole è simbolo di Dio, di luce e verità: probabilmente il Gonzaga ha voluto alludere alla protezione divina sulla propria persona . Nelle lunette si sono scoperte le inedite rappresentazioni di trionfi con strumenti musicali a fiato e a corda legati senza dubbio alla passione di Isabella Gonzaga per la musica, e alla destinazione dell’edificio quale luogo di svago e di riposo.

Malacarne, studioso mantovano di araldica, così si esprime a proposito delle insegne mantegnesche:
Dunque lo stemma concesso ad Andrea Mantegna dal marchese di Mantova Ludovico Gonzaga si blasona: spaccato: nel I d’argento ad un sole meridiano (posto nel capo) radiato d’oro con cartiglio (o nastro) svolazzante tra i raggi (bianco) caricato del motto par un desir; nel II fasciato d’oro e di nero di quattro pezzi.
Il Gonzaga molto doveva amare Andrea se giunse a concedere la sua arme, pur se brisata, non solo, ma anche la sua impresa del sole che Attilio Portioli narra Ludovico avesse assunto dopo l’infelice giornata della battaglia di Caravaggio avvenuta il 5 settembre del 1448, nella quale perse molti dei suoi oggetti personali.

I've stumbled in it about a person "Gilbert de Bourbon Monpensier", also called "il Delfino", in 1485 called a French ambassador, who was in 1485 guest in Ferrara. He was married to Chiara Gonzaga, a sister of Gian Francesco Gonzaga, who was then engaged to Isabella d'Este (and married her in 1489).

The wedding took place either February 1481 or 1482. Gilbert seems to have had some importance for the French king Charles VIII, he got important positions then. Finally he became Vice-king of Naples in 1494 (during the invasion of Charles VIII in Italy), was taken prisoner and died of fever in 1496.

Chiara seems to be the earliest Mantovan princess, which married to the French region. As already noted earlier, a much later Gonzaga princess became of importance for the first Tarot rules in 1637, a relationship, which developed, when a 3rd son of the Gonzaga-family married a French heiress in 1561.

http://genealogy.euweb.cz/gonzaga/gonzaga2.html

F5. Chiara (or Clara) Gonzaga *1.7.1464, +2.6.1503; m.24.2.1481 Gilbert I de Bourbon Cte de Montpensier, Duca di Sessa (*1443 +15.10.1496)

Clara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Gonzaga
her husband
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert,_C ... ontpensier

one of her children, Charles III., duke of Bourbon (rather prominent, fought in Pavia at the side of Charles V., emperor, against France ... was killed during the Sacco di Roma)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II ... of_Bourbon

Bourbon had more reason to know Tarocchi: He had an Italian mother (Clara of Gonzaga with a Bavarian mother and Barbara of Brandenburg as grand-mother), and he had various military operations in Italy since 1507, most time for France, since 1423 against France. Enough opportunity to learn the game.

She maintained a correspondence with her sister-in-law, Isabella d'Este.

Clara's paternal grandparents were Ludovico III Gonzaga and Barbara of Brandenburg; and her maternal grandparents were Albert III, Duke of Bavaria and Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck, daughter of Duke Erich I of Brunswick-Salzderhelden and Elisabeth of Brunswick-Göttingen.

E1. Duc Charles I de Bourbon et d'Auvergne, *1401, +Chateau de Moulins 1456, bur Souvigny; m.Autun 17.9.1425 Agnes de Bourgogne (*1407 +1.12.1476)
-- F1. Duc Jean II de Bourbon et d'Auvergne, *1426, +Chateau de Moulins 1488, bur Souvigny; 1m: Chateau de Moulins 1447 Jeanne of France (*1430 +1482); 2m: St.Cloud 1484 Catherine (+Moulins 1487, bur there) dau.of Jacques d'Armagnac, Duc de Nemours; 3m: 1487 Jeanne (*1465 +1512, bur Vic-le-Comte) dau.of Jean de Bourbon, Cte de Vendome
---- G1. Jean, Cte de Clermont, *Moulins 1487, +1487
---- G2. Louis, Cte de Clermont, *and +1488
[Jean II had the following illegitimate children]:
---- G3. [by Marguerite de Brunant] Mathieu "le Grand Batard de Bourbon", Baron de la Roche-en-Renier, +Chateau de Chambrou-en-Forez 1505
[by unknown mothers]:
---- G4. Hector, batard de Bourbon, Archbp of Toulouse, +1502, bur Toulouse
---- G5. Pierre, batard de Bourbon, +young
---- G6. Marie, batarde de Bourbon, +1482; m.Chateau de Beseneins-en-Dombes 1470 Jacques de Sainte-Colombe
---- G7. Marguerite, batarde de Bourbon, legitimized 1464, *1445, +1482; m.Moulins 1462 Jean de Ferrieres (+1497)
---- G8. [by Jeanne Louise, dau.of Jean d'Albret, Vcte de Tartas] Charles, batard de Bourbon, Vcte de Lavedan, +1502; m.before 1462 Louise du Lion, Vcts de Lavedan (+after 25.2.1505); for his descendants See HERE
-- F2. Philippe, sn de Beaujeu, *1430, +1440
-- F3. Duc Charles II, Cardinal, Archbishop of Lyon, *Chateau de Moulins 1434, +Lyon 1488, bur there
----- G1. [illegitimate by Gabriele Bastine] Isabelle, +Paris 1497; m.Gilbert de Chantelot
-- F4. Louis, Bp of Liege, *1438, +murdered at Wez, nr Liege 1482, bur St.Lambert; he had illegitimate issue by Katharina von Egmont, Regent of Geldern (*1439 +1496):
---- G1. Pierre de Bourbon, Baron de Busset, *in the Netherlands 1464, +1529; m.1498 Marguerite de Tourzel dit d'Alegre, Dame de Busset (+1531) dau.of Bertrand, sn de Busset, by Isabelle de Levis. For his descendants, See HERE
---- G2. Louis, *1465, +after 26.6.1500
---- G3. Jacques, Grand Prior of the Jesuits in France, *1466, +1537, bur Paris
-- F5. Duc Pierre II de Bourbon et d'Auvergne, *1438, +Chateau de Moulins 1503, bur Souvigny; m.1473 Anne of France (*1462, +Chateau de Chantelle 1522, bur Souvigny)
---- G1. Cte Charles de Clermont, *1476, +1498
---- G2. Dss Suzanne de Bourbon et d'Auvergne, *1491, +Chateau de Chatellerault 1521, bur Souvigny; m.Chateau du Parc-les-Moulins 1505 Duc Charles III de Bourbon
-- F6. Jacques, *1445, +Bruges 1468, bur there
-- F7. Marie, *1428, +1448; m.1444 Jean d'Anjou, Duke of Lorraine (*1425 +1470)
-- F8. Isabelle, *1436, +Antwerp 25.9.1465, bur there; m.Lille 1454 Duc Charles de Bourgogne (+1477)
-- F9. Catherine, *Liege 1440/42, +Nijmegen 21/22.5.1469, bur St.Stevens Kerk, Nijmegen; m.Brugges 28.12.1463 Duke Adolf of Geldern (*12.2.1438 +22.7.1477)
-- F10. Jeanne, *1442, +1493; m.Brussels 1467 Jean II de Chalon, Pr d'Orange (+1502)
-- F11. Marguerite, *5.2.1438/44, +Chateau du Pont-Ains 24.4.1483; m.Moulins 6.4.1472 Duke Filippo II of Savoy (*5.2.1438 +7.11.1497)
-- F12. [illegitimate by Jeanne de Bournan] Louis "l'Admiral de Bourbon" legitimized 1463, Cte de Roussillon-en-Dauphine et de Ligny, +Valognes 1487, bur there; m.1466 Jeanne (+1519) illegitimate dau.of King Louis XI
---- G1. Charles, Cte de Roussillon et de Ligny, +1510; m.1506 Anne (+1530) dau.of Godefroi de La Tour, Baron de Montgascon
---- G2. Suzanne, Cts de Roussillon et de Ligny, *1466, +1531; 1m: Jean de Chabannes, Cte de Dammartin; 2m: ca 1510 Charles, sn de Boulainvilliers (+1529)
---- G3. Anne, Dame de Mirabeau; m.Jean II, Baron d'Arpajon
---- G4. [illegitimate] Jean batard de Bourbon, Abbot of Senilly, *1465, +after 1488
[illegitimate kids by unknown mothers]:
-- F13. Renaud, Archbishop of Narbonne, +St.Pierre-de-Montverdun 1483, bur there; he had illegitimate kids:
---- G1. Charles, Bp of Clermont, *1461, +Chateau de Beauregard 1504
---- G2. Suzanne, legitimized 1501; m.1494 Louis de Gonstaves, sn de Chazelles
-- F14. Pierre, a priest, sn du Bois-d'Yoin-en-Lyonnais +1490
---- G1. [illegitimate] Antoinette, batarde de Bourbon; m.1492 Pierre Dyenne
---- G2. [illegitimate] Catherine, batarde de Bourbon; m.1492 Pierre Holiflant
-- F15. Jeanne, legitimized 1492; m.1492 Jean du Fay, sn de Bray-en-Touraine
-- F16. Charlotte, batarde de Bourbon, +1489; m.ca 1488 Odilles de Senay
-- F17. Sidoine, batarde de Bourbon, Dame de Tison; m.1460 Rene, sn de Bus
-- F18. Catherine, batarde de Bourbon, legitimized 1452, Abbess of St.Claire-d'Aigueperse
E2. Louis, Cte de Forez, *1403, +Paris 1412, bur Senlis
E3. Louis "le Bon" de Bourbon, Cte de Clermont, de Sancerre et de Montpensier, Dauphin d'Auvergne, +V.1486, bur Aigueperse; 1m: 1428 Jeanne, Cts de Clermont-en-Auvergne et de Sancerre, Dauphine d'Auvegne (+1436) dau.of Cte Berauld III; 2m: 15.2.1442 Gabrielle de La Tour (+1486)
-- F1. Gilbert, Cte de Montpensier, Dauphin d'Auvergne, Archduke of Sessa, Viceroy of Naples, *1443, +Pozzuolo 15.10.1496, bur Aigueperse; m.24.2.1482 Clara Gonzaga (*1.7.1464, +2.6.1503)
---- G1. Cte Louis II de Montpensier, Dauphin d'Auvergne, *1483, +Naples 1501, bur Aigueperse
----G2. Duc Charles III de Bourbon et d'Auvergne, etc *17.2.1490, +k.a.Rome 1527, bur Castello di Gaetz; m.1505 his cousin Dss Suzanne de Bourbon, etc (*1491 +1521)
------ H1. Fran蔞is, Cte de Clermont, *Chateau de Moulins 1517, +Chateau de Chatellerault 1518
------ H2.& H3. twins, *and +1518
------ H4. [illegitimate by Alaigne, a Mongol princess related to Akhar-Khan of Delhi] Jean Philippe, a courtier of the khan, *1525, +after 1560; m.a sister of the khan; This son, Jean Philippe de Bourbon, ended up as a courtier of the Khan in Delhi, India. His descendants were the Bourbons of Bhopal, for whom see Vitold de Golish, Splendeur et Crepuscule des Maharajas, See HERE
------ H5. [illegitimate] Catherine, batarde de Bourbon; m.Bertrand Salmart, sn de Ressis
---- G3. Fran蔞is, Duc de Chatellerault, *1492, +k.a. Marignano 1515
---- G4. Louise, Dss de Montpensier, Dauphine d'Auvergne, *1482, +1561, bur Champigny; 1m: St.Pierre-le-Moustier 1499 Andre III de Chauvigny, Pr de Deols, Vcte de Brosse (+4.1.1503); 2m: Moulins 21.3.1504 !roglo!/1505 Louis I de Bourbon-Montpensier, Pr de la Roche-sur-Yon (*1473 +1520)
---- G5. Ren嶪, Dame de Mercoeur, *1494, +Nancy 26.5.1539, bur St.Georges, Nancy; m.ch漮eau d'Amboise 26.6.1515 Duke Antoine II of Lorraine (*4.6.1489 +14.6.1544)
---- G6. Anne, *1495, +in Spain 1510
-- F2. Jean, *1445, +1485
-- F3. Gabrielle, Cts de Benon, *1447, +1516; m.1485 Louis de la Tremoille, Pr de Talmond (+1525)
-- F4. Charlotte, *1449, +1478; m.1468 Wolfart van Borsselen, Cte de Grandpre, Earl of Buchan (+1487)
E4. [illegitimate] Jean, batard de Bourbon, Cte de Velay, Bp of Puy, +Rembert-en-Forez 1485, bur Cluny
E5. [illegitimate] Alexandre, batard de Bourbon, a priest, +drowned at Bar-sur-Aube 1440
E6. [illegitimate] Guy batard, de Bourbon, +1442
E7. [illegitimate] Marguerite, batarde de Bourbon; m.1433/6 Rodrigo de Villandrado, Cde de Ribadeo
E8. [illegitimate] Edmee, batarde de Bourbon