Bacchus appeared in the 16 gods in the Echecs amoureux version of Evrart da Conty (1398)
In the 1467 Burgundy version he looked like this:
... after he had appeared in the De deorum imaginibus libellus / Albrici / Reg. Lat. 1290 ...
He appeared in the 16 gods of the Michelino deck with Filippo Maria Visconti (with high chess interest) likely being informed about Conty's book:
BACCHUS
Covered with vines, hair wreathed with leaves, Bacchus approaches the eighth place. So great that the tigers niether draw near nor rush on the chariot. He is ready with the walking-stick to steady the feet when they slip. This one was first a planter of vines, and he supplied the very practical use of wine to mankind; and in venerating it, almost the whole world was warmed by the benefit of the discovery of this gift. His rites are celebrated especially by old men, since that age when the old man Silenus sang with great authority, in submission to Bacchus, that none was to be deemed sufficiently worthy to plant, unless the god Bacchus should be in attendance. And in the first place, with such great force his appearance is beautiful; he is held to be fair-skinned, while the frenzy of the cultivators sometimes became so great, that it turned them into various expressions of wild beasts. From the Lightning by his mother Semele, he was drawn into the light to be attacked by his enemy Juno, but the Powerful One escaped her hostile hand, being hidden away from Juno in the ivy; since excessively bitter and hostile heat would have destroyed his fruit, appearing in the vine, unless it were helped by the covering of leaves. By his suggestion, after the grape had been discovered, and he laid aside the drinking cup of the spring, and by the pleasantness of tasting, by no means did he exhaust the drunken stream, the ruin of the human race. Being described as looking perpetually youthful, because he does not lose vigor with age. Temples decorated with his grape vines, he carries a walking stick, from his name. According to the nature of being drunk, he is called Liber, since by the same, while he reigns, he renders men unimpeded and free of cares. Twin tigers pull the chariot, since drunkenness sometimes leads to the ferocity of tigers. The Victor of India, he frequents the strenuous second peak of Parnassus, since that greatest mountain abounds in vineyards.
Translation by Ross:
http://trionfi.com/martiano-da-tortona- ... -16-heroum
This seems to have been Bacchus on Chariot drawn by two tigers ... a wandering stick is mentioned. Perhaps an idea, which wandered to the Fool?
http://metamedia.stanford.edu/philolog/ ... ne_15.html
Also a chariot with tigers:
In the Michelino deck Bacchus is given for natural reasons to the group of pleasures, together with Venus, Ceres, and Amor. Venus and Amor reappear on the Tarot card lovers. In the given context Ceres likely presents corn + bread and Bacchus presents wine and the whole just a festivity, best at the opportunity of a wedding.
In Chess iconography we've Bacchus indirectly involved in the innkeeper (pawn before the bishop at the Queen's side), a figure, which later somehow transformed to the Bagatello.
It seems plausible, that in lots of old pubs also card-playing had its role. It might be that some of these pubs had Bacchus symbols, in other words a decoration suitable to drinking opportunities - just as it is common nowadays. Possibly occasionally Bacchus iconography was directly involved - with pubs. Perhaps a little Bacchus somewhere at the entrance.
From the current observations we've since recently and the Esch-book detection confirmation for the mass production factor since 1463/64 for "Triunfi cards". This naturally changes the situation. We must assume, that there was more production than earlier considered. For the moment it' so, that at least "rich citizens" could belong to the customers of the Trionfi decks in the 1450s. It makes logic, that Florence with its many artists was in the first row of the Trionfi card producing cities. The theory, that Florence was especially stopped by prohibitions in the 1440s is reduced, but still discussed in detail.
We have the Puri family records, which indicate, that playing cards seem to have been allowed in September 1447 (cause then the Puri records start). September 1447 is just one month after Filippo Maria Visconti had died in Milan, as arch enemy of Florence. It might be, that his death triggered the re-allowance of card playing in Florence (however, there are enough reasons imaginable, that this coincidence is just accidental). Nonetheless we have just for 1447 the Manetti report. Manetti served as governor in Pistoia, which was called a "gambling nest". He installed strong measures against gambling. After he returned, he was welcomed in Florence with mockery poems. It's not clear, which content the mockery poems had, but a governor who had invested strong energy in persecution of playing cards on the country and returned to Florence after a year, and had to realize, that playing cards prohibitions in Florence had been stopped, would earn (somehow logical') a lot of mockery between the card playing Bacchus fans in the pubs.
The sales of the Puri family in end of 1447 / begin of 1448 are very good, but the business slows down with summer 1448 and it seems, that in 1449 the business with cards is dropped.
If Florence in September 1447 returned from a prohibition phase, it might be expected, that the sales were very well at the begin. Also it might be expected, that after some time the business becomes normal. For the Puri family playing cards were just an item between others, they started to sell them, as long the public desire was big.
The Puri family hadn't Trionfi cards.
The silk dealers, who mainly exported to other cities, had very good sales in 1439-40. This was the time after the council. And that was roughly about 50% of their deals in these 2 years. After this in 1441-1454 (14 year, the other 50%) it looks like just an opportunity side business (the highest number of dated deals in one year are 3, and some year have no deals). But ... as a lot of deals are only registered as a summary price and not in detailed items lists, we just have not a real overview. As they usually exported cards (which might have been allowed even in card prohibition years), this list gives hardly a clue on possible prohibition times.
The silk dealers occasionally traded Trionfi cards (1445, 1450, 1451 and 1454) and it are 11 decks sold, 6 of them
in 1454, 4 in 1450/51 and 1 in 1445. The purchaser in 1445 is a trader family in Bergamo, which was active also in Ancona and in the Romagna. From this condition it seems very difficult to say, where the deck went to. The family is major customer of the Florentine silk trades, not only for playing cards. For all Trionfi decks there is no artist mentioned.
The six Triunfi decks of 1454 are "piccoli", small Triunfi cards. This might be VERY IMPORTANT ... as the step to the cheaper decks definitely had to do with the reduction of the paper costs. But I don't know. Likely further documents will appear in short time and will change the situation again.
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Bacchus appeared with a Bacchus Trionfi in Florence carnival (where we have the new documents now) with Bacchus and Ariadne. I remember, the text was from Lorenzo? Yes, a poem had been from him.
The Triumph of Bacchus
The time of youth indeed is sweet,
But all too soon it slips away.
If you'd be happy – don't delay!
Tomorrow's ills we've yet to meet.
Welcome Bacchus, Ariadne!
An ardent couple, loving, fair.
They spend as one their days with glee,
For time flies fast and does not spare.
Thus these nymphs – and others – fare.
Happy they the livelong day!
If you'd be happy – don't delay!
Tomorrow's ills we've yet to meet.
These nymphs are tickled by the thought
To be deceived by lover's wile.
If Love's sweet remedy were naught,
Folk sure would be uncouth and vile.
Commingled now, they dance and smile
And sport and play the livelong day!
If you'd be happy – don't delay!
Tomorrow's ills we've yet to meet.
Upon a donkey, corpulent,
Silenus wends his weighty way.
Heavy, drunk and senescent,
Years and blubber on him lay.
He can't stand straight, he is quite bent –
Yet still he smiles the livelong day!
If you'd be happy – don't delay!
Tomorrow's ills we've yet to meet.
All ye lovers, boys, girls too –
Long live Bacchus, and Love, I say.
Play, dance, and sing, each one of you,
Let sweetness o’er your hearts hold sway.
Fatigue and weakness throw away,
For what must be you cannot beat.
If you'd be happy – don't delay!
Tomorrow's ills we've yet to meet.
Translated by Alan D. Corré June 3, 2005
Trionfo di Bacco
Quant’è bella la giovinezza,
che si fugge tuttavia!
chi vuol esser lieto, sia:
di doman non c’è certezza.
Quest’è Bacco e questa Arianna,
belli e l’un dell altro ardenti:
perche il tempo fugge e inganna,
sempre insieme stan contenti.
Queste ninfe ed altre genti
sono allegre tuttavia.
Chi vuol esser lieto, sia:
di doman non c’è certezza.
Queste ninfe anche hanno caro
da lor esser ingannate:
non può fare Amor riparo,
se non gente rozze e ingrate:
ora insieme mescolate
suonon, canton tuttavia.
Chi vuol esser lieto, sia:
di doman non c’è certezza.
Questa soma, che vien drieto,
sopra l’asino, è Sileno:
cosi vecchio è ebbro e lieto,
già di carne e d'anni pieno;
se non può star ritto, almeno
ride e gode tuttavia.
Chi vuol esser lieto, sia:
di doman non c’è certezza.
Donne e giovinetti amanti
viva Bacco e viva Amore!
Ciascun suoni, balli e canti!
arda di dolcezza il core!
Non fatica, non dolote!
cio c’ha a esser, convien sia
Chi vuol esser lieto, sia:
di doman non c’è certezza.
In the poem appeared a Silenus on a donkey. A little later Boiardo had a Fool on donkey in his Tarocchi poem.
Further from Florence we have 9x Bacchus in a sphere-muses model from Ficino in 1469.
http://trionfi.com/0/m/13/
Well, very old researches, but under the impression and the new focus on early Trionfi from Florence they get another face.
Bacchus and Ariane had been carnival with music, actually an opera-forerunner Trionfo. Ficino played music and did sing to it. If 1475 is right for the Mantegna Tarocchi, a little later after Ficino 1475 it followed with 9 Muses and Apollo. Around the same time in Milan Giangaleazzo became obsessed by his capella and its musicians, a major interest. Generally we have this exaggerated interests in festivities, Trionfi etc. in the early 1470s. It's a relative peaceful time compared to others in 15th century.
It definitely gains another face, if one knows with security, that some Tionfi cards appeared in Florence.
... :-) ... the nine sphere with Bacchus might indicate 9 degrees of drunkenness ... :-)
The new data from Florence suggests "more decks, which we don't know". The probability, that in some decks a Bacchus looked around the corner might be called "increased".
We had an innkeeper in Folengo's "Baldo" as a sort Cook-Bagatello. At other later opportunity the innkeeper = Bagatello had been directly indicated.