Re: Ser Ristoro (playing cards 1434 to Ferrara)

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MikeH made a note in the recent thread of the "Issy exhibition" about Imperatori cards for Ferrara made in Florence in 1432.
"We know that Imperatori decks were purchased from Florence by the d'Este court, in 1423 and 1432."
I only knew Imperatori cards for Ferrara made in Florence in the year 1423. So I asked MikeH about it.

MikeH realized, that he had had a number error, not 1432, but 1434. And he had a link to an article of Franco Pratesi in the year 1995:
http://naibi.net/A/55-IMPER-Z.pdf .... "Les "Imperatori" des Florence à la cour de Ferrare. L'As de Trèfle , N. 54 (1995) 16-17."
In this article a Ser Restoro is adressed, not a Ser Ristoro as in this thread "Ser Ristoro (playing cards 1434 to Ferrara)". Naturally Ser Restoro and Ser Ristori are the same person.

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Ser Ristoro with "i" as second letter was mentioned in this article from 1990 ...
http://naibi.net/A/30-PRISECO-Z.pdf .... CARTE DA GIOCO A FIRENZE: IL PRIMO SECOLO (1377-1477) (1990)
... and this was linked to during the earlier thread discussion in the year 2017.

I've checked in our local search-engine, that the article of 1995 wasn't mentioned before.
Huck
http://trionfi.com

Re: Ser Ristoro (playing cards 1434 to Ferrara)

23
Huck wrote: 02 Mar 2022, 05:23 MikeH made a note in the recent thread of the "Issy exhibition" about Imperatori cards for Ferrara made in Florence in 1432.
"We know that Imperatori decks were purchased from Florence by the d'Este court, in 1423 and 1432."
I only knew Imperatori cards for Ferrara made in Florence in the year 1423. So I asked MikeH about it.

MikeH realized, that he had had a number error, not 1432, but 1434...
Given the arms of a Florentine condottiero are on the oldest known mentioning of a deck of trionfi, its not that bold of a theory to say trionfi could provide an opportunity for propaganda for a given state. Given the presence of the Pope resident in Florence, Imperatori - versus trionfi - could hardly serve that purpose, especially as the belligerent was an imperial fief (Visconti Milan). I would view Imperatori as yet one more impetus to use the medium of cards for potential propaganda purposes, perhaps in addition to the Marziano deck if known in Florence (Bruni, for example, had plenty of connections to Milanese humanists so certainly probable), but could not serve as any kind of template.

Naturally the Holy Roman Empire could not be excluded from the worldview represented by trionfi, and the Emperor and Empress are duly included, but with no special status as Imperatori would obviously have "emperors."

Let me hypothesize further, and state Judgement would be the highest card in Florence to promote the Papacy (and Guelf Florence) over the Empire. The CY tellingly has Visconti imprese on the angels' trumpet flags - I would offer that is in response to the Florentine ur-tarot, which would have featured the Guelf flag (or even the lily) and perhaps the Judgement-appropriate crossed keys that emblazoned the papal standard such as we find on the Anghiari cassone. An imperial place of commission, I would argue, would instead place the "World" trump as the highest - at least in antagonistic Milan, modifying the Florentine creation, following it so quickly in time (arguably to celebrate the Peace of Cavriana and marriage of Visconti's daughter to Sforza, ostensibly tying him to employment for the Duke).

What warrants additional study for this proposal is the comparative Judgement and World cards in the imperial fief of Ferrara and the papal fief of Bologna. Of course there is no compelling "rule" to be followed, but why would each of those cities favor one trump over the next - Judgement or "World" - as the highest card? I think the "World" had a natural place as highest in terms of Aristotelian categories, as being the all-encompassing subject, but there are always mitigating local circumstances to be understood.

Phaeded

Attendolo-Sforza (behind the papal crossed-keys), Papal and Florentine standards at Anghiari
http://warfare.ihostfull.com/15/Battle_ ... centre.jpg

Re: Ser Ristoro (playing cards 1434 to Ferrara)

24
Campori text of 1882
https://www.google.de/books/edition/Art ... frontcover

Franco's older text of 1990 ... http://www.naibi.net/A/30-PRISECO-Z.pdf
"nel 1434 il Marchese Nicolò III faceva pagare a Ser Ristoro e compagni in Firenze sette fiorini d’oro prezzo di due mazzi di carticelle mandatogli a Ferrara" (Campori 1874)
Naibi.net text of 1995:
http://naibi.net/A/55-IMPER-Z.pdf

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The prices have not the same format, it might be that Campori had shortened the document (?). The 1995 document has the word "imperatorj", the Campori text had lost it. Both documents have "2 decks".

In 1423 we had from the Ferrarese records a report about imperatori cards from Florence
1423, adi VIIII de octobre
Giovani Bianchin de havere per uno paro de carte da VIII imperadori messe d'oro fino che elo fé vegnere da Fiorenza per Madona Marchexana, le quale have Zoexe famio de la dicta dona; costono fiorini 7, nove, e per spexe da Fiorenza a Ferrara soldi 6 de bolognini; in tuto valgono
..... L. XIIII.VI. de bolognini

Io Giovani Bianchini scripsi adi soprascripto
translated by Ross Caldwell
1423, on the day 9 October Giovanni Bianchini to have for one pack of cards of VIII Emperors gilded, which was brought from Florence for Milady Marchesana (Parisina d'Este), which Zoesi * (name of the servant) servant of said Lady had; priced 7 florins, new, and for expenses (of the transport) from Florence to Ferrara 6 Bolognese soldi; in all valued
….. L. XIIII.VI. Bolognese

I Giovanni Bianchini wrote it on the above-written day.
There are further Imperatori card notes from Ferrara in the years 1443,1444 , 1450 and 1452. These were all cheaper productions.
http://trionfi.com/0/c/02/index.php

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It's curious, that Campori for 1434 has "sette fiorini d’oro" and the document of 1423 has "fiorini 7, nove". Also it is strange, that the Campori document (1434) has (possibly) price differences to the document (1434) found in 1995.
Huck
http://trionfi.com