Re: The Chariot

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Anne-Marie: I scrolled down with interest your gallery (well, I think it is yours) of 50 paintings at https://www.anne-marie.eu/en/fifty-extr ... symbolism/
Of relevance to tarot symbolism are your analysis of the tree and ascending snake as kundalini symbols in some of the paintings at the end of this series.

Trees are a rich source of symbolism associated with Christ, as I am sure you know and many websites will show you.

As for the snake, it is a common attribute of both Prudence and Wisdom. I would refer you to the "Rhenish Lectionary" of about 1130 c.e., from Cologne Cathedral, It is pictured in fig. 33 of Adolph Katzenellenbogen's Allegories of the Virtues and Vices in Medieval Art, 1938, discussed on p. 33. I have uploaded the figure at http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hGMv1LYaD8k/U ... /Fig33.JPG. The figure of Prudence is in the upper right corner. Fortitude is opposite, and Justice and Temperance in the other corners. For a 15th century version of the same attribute, see https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/prude ... -pollaiolo, one of a series on the seven virtues. There is also Pesellino, c. 1450, with both snake and column, at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... ellino.jpg.
And the traditional Minchiate Prudence card, number 17, which you can see at http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks07/d05114/d05114.htm.

The snake symbol is by way of Matthew 10:16, "ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum estote ergo prudentes sicut serpentes et simplices sicut columbae" (Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves). The Vulgate, you will have noticed, has "prudentes".

The snake on a cross is by way of Numbers 21:9, "fecit ergo Moses serpentem aeneum et posuit pro signo quem cum percussi aspicerent sanabantur" ("Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.") It was taken as a precursor to Christ's crucifixion. It is in juxtaposition to the snake on the tree in the Garden of Eden. The wavy columns behind Jesus in one of the pictures you showed us may allude to both connotations.

If you want to say that in addition the snake or tree meant the kundalini, well, these paintings were made on commission. If it did, there should be something identifiably kundalini in the writings of the Church Fathers orders that commissioned the paintings.

Another detail in one of the paintings you show is coral on a string. That detail also appears on a 15th century tarot card thought to be Temperance, although it is not an attribute of Temperance in particular. You can find the discussion by using the search tool and putting in "coral".

In reference to the Chariot and World cards discussed here, I was happy that you identified the Christ-child holding the orb as "Salvator Mundi", savior of the world, rather than Dominator of the World, as is often done. Although both apply, you have used the primary one.

Re: The Chariot

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mikeh wrote: 29 Mar 2020, 22:35 Anne-Marie: I scrolled down with interest your gallery (well, I think it is yours) of 50 paintings at https://www.anne-marie.eu/en/fifty-extr ... symbolism/
Of relevance to tarot symbolism are your analysis of the tree and ascending snake as kundalini symbols in some of the paintings at the end of this series.
Hi Mike, thanks for visiting my website and investing time in our discussion! :-)

The gallery is not specifically about kundalini symbolism, but about John=Jesus symbolism. There are paintings with more striking kundalini symbols on them. For this forum, however, I want tot stick to the subject of the chariot...
mikeh wrote: 29 Mar 2020, 22:35 The snake on a cross is by way of Numbers 21:9, "fecit ergo Moses serpentem aeneum et posuit pro signo quem cum percussi aspicerent sanabantur" ("Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.") It was taken as a precursor to Christ's crucifixion. It is in juxtaposition to the snake on the tree in the Garden of Eden. The wavy columns behind Jesus in one of the pictures you showed us may allude to both connotations.
The serpent of Moses was a kundalini serpent . Being bitten by the serpent is using the kundalini energy for sensual pleasure (letting the energy dwell in the belly), which will lead to spiritual death (animal consciousness). Lifting the serpent on a pole, is letting the kundalini rise to the crown, which will bring (spiritual) life.
mikeh wrote: 29 Mar 2020, 22:35 If you want to say that in addition the snake or tree meant the kundalini, well, these paintings were made on commission. If it did, there should be something identifiably kundalini in the writings of the Church Fathers orders that commissioned the paintings.
Of course the church fathers did not commission kundalini symbols in their paintings. This was done by the artist (a freemason probably) and they had to be careful, so it is often subtle. I understand historians want prove, but I don't think you will find something written on paper to confirm it.
mikeh wrote: 29 Mar 2020, 22:35 Another detail in one of the paintings you show is coral on a string. That detail also appears on a 15th century tarot card thought to be Temperance, although it is not an attribute of Temperance in particular. You can find the discussion by using the search tool and putting in "coral".
The temperance card shows the flow of the kundalini energy from the pelvis to the head. You are refering to this card: This card is full of kundalini symbolism. Maybe I will write more about it when I find time. But for now, this illustration (from Atalanta Fugiens - Michael Maier 1617) shows the alchemist fishing coral (kundalini) out of the water (of the subconsciousness). Coral is a apt kundalini symbol because of its color red: the color of the first chakra, where the kundalini resides.
http://www.anne-marie.eu/en/

Re: The Chariot

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Well, your theory about the Stag Rider card would at least explain why the rider and the stag are back to back, which is more than others do. And the alchemist's pole is certainly suggestive (of the spine, I mean).

Re: The Chariot

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mikeh wrote: 02 Apr 2020, 09:18 Well, your theory about the Stag Rider card would at least explain why the rider and the stag are back to back, which is more than others do. And the alchemist's pole is certainly suggestive (of the spine, I mean).
Yes! You are seeing it! :-)
You don't know how happy you make me with this... all I meet are people who don't want to see it, or have no interest in the subject either way (which I find incomprehensible since this is about the core of our life, about the destination of humanity IMHO)...
so thank you, you made my day! :-)
.
http://www.anne-marie.eu/en/

Re: The Chariot

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I just came across this illustration of Petrarch's Triumph of Fame, showing a figure holding a baton, seated on a chariot drawn by a winged horse. The image is apparently from a French manuscript from the 16th century, which is neither the right country nor the right era to provide strong iconographic support for interpreting the PMB Chariot card as Fame. But it does at least prove that the idea of adding wings to the horse, rather than the figure, was something that did occur to at least one Renaissance artist.
Image
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Note that this doesn't mean that I believe the PMB Chariot card definitely represented Fame: my current view is that it's more or less equally likely for it to have been intended as Fame or as Chastity/Pudicitia. Both seem plausible on the current evidence.

Re: The Chariot

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Nathaniel wrote: 08 Apr 2020, 03:43 I just came across this illustration of Petrarch's Triumph of Fame, showing a figure holding a baton, seated on a chariot drawn by a winged horse. The image is apparently from a French manuscript from the 16th century, which is neither the right country nor the right era to provide strong iconographic support for interpreting the PMB Chariot card as Fame. ...

Image
Explanation here:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1591

Re: The Chariot

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Thanks for that, Phaeded. I must have missed that thread. I figured someone else must have already noticed this French triumph image before! The Sforza-Riario medal is interesting too.

It's not a lot to go on, and I'm not prepared to use such a small amount of evidence as the basis for extrapolating the kind of detailed conjectures that you and Mike present on that thread, but this illumination and that medal do mean that we have two Renaissance images depicting Fame by means of a chariot drawn by winged horses, but so far no images (to my knowledge!) of Pudicitia depicted by means of a chariot drawn by winged horses.

Nevertheless, I remain open to the possibility that the Pudicitia interpretation may have been the designer's intent, for the reasons I discussed above. And whether you see it as Fame or Pudicitia, the fact remains that the PMB Chariot seems a highly unorthodox depiction of either subject, differing significantly from any other contemporary image of them.