Well,
we have the ancient Manilius astrology and from the 12 figures 10 reappear in the Hymeneus order of 1475.
The text of Manilius reached Italy after the council of Constance and became popular, when the Palazzo Schifanoia got some fresci 1469-71 and second, when a Ferrarese and a Regiomontanus edition were published more or less parallel 1472/73. So ... short before the wedding of 1475.
Manilius
March = Aries = Minerva
April = Taurus = Venus
May = Gemini = Apollo
June = Cancer = Mercury
July = Leo = Jupiter
August = Virgo = Ceres
September = Libra = Vulcanus
October = Scorpio = Mars
November = Sagitarius = Diana
December = Capricorn = Vesta
January = Aquarius = Juno
February = Pisces = Neptun
The gods are logical arranged in 180 degree opposites:
brothers and sisters, children of Saturn/Kronos
Jupiter - Juno
Neptun - Ceres
Mercury (replaces Pluto) - Vesta
younger gods
Minerva - Vulcanus
Venus - Mars
Apollo - Artemis
Although this is rather logical (if one knows about mythology), it should have been surprising in ca. 1470 and caused discussions and following variations.
If we look at the Gold series of the sun, we see in a comparison:
1.
Hymeneus goes outside, Castor and Pollux come inside - GEMINI
1st time "male"
2. Vivande de Venere - Erato - TAURUS,
"female zodiac sign"
3. Vivande de Iove - Perseo - LEO, "male"
4. Vivande de Juno - Iris - AQUARIUS, "male"
5. Vivande de Apollo - Orpheo - GEMINI
2nd time, "male"
6. Vivande de Pallas - Hebe - ARIES, "male"
Some considerations:
Nearly all listed Gold = sun signs are that, what one would consider in modern (and probably also old) astrology "male zodiac signs" ("male" are usually Aries-Gemini-Leo-Libra-Sagitarius-aquarius), only one
is female, Venus in Taurus (female sign) creates trouble.
In the Manilius astrology Venus is paired with Mars, and everybody, who knows mythology, knows, that this is an immoral love affair, not a marriage.
But now we have the state of "wedding" (the triumph of the Hymeneus) and things are going to be changed, so this attractive Venus at the free market of possible love affairs is moved to her husband Vulcanus at the sign Libra, that sign, which hasn't till now appeared in the list with the male zodiac signs above. Libra, astrology knows it, is the sign of marriage.
Now we've 5 male zodiac signs in the Gold sun list and still we have a contradiction. Apollo and the twins Castor and Pollux both are arranged in the sign Gemini, and that is one too much, and Apollo has to be moved to his sister in Sagitarius and "all power to the twin children" in Gemini, cause this is a "wedding", high live the Hymeneus, and weddings are made to get children.
Now we have that, what the astrologus loves, an ordered zodiac, 6 male signs make the Gold = sun group, cause Sagitarius is the sixth male sign
Now we come to the Silver = moon group:
7. Vivande de Vesta - Tatia (daughter of Tatius, king of the Sabines) - VIRGO, female
8. Vivande de Neptuno - Triton - PISCES, female
9. Vivande de Diana - Licaste - SAGITARIUS, male as discussed before
10. Vivande de Marte - Romulo - SCORPIO, female
11. Vivande de Ceres - Arethusa - CAPRICORN female
12. Vivande de Bacho - Syleno ... ???????
That's more complicated ... I think
We've the figure Orpheus left from the consideration about the sun group (Orpheus as servant of Apollo). If Apollo gets the place of Licaste, what's with Licaste? Gets Orpheus Licaste? And we still have Bacho paired with Silenus.
From the zodiac signs, we have Taurus, which was left by Venus, and we have Cancer, which belonged in the Manilius order to Mercury, but Mercury and Vulcanus we haven't appeared in the 24 figures of the Hymeneus.
Now is Vulcanus the typical male husband and Mercury the typical messenger and the male husband (in exspectation) is very important at a wedding and Mercury is also an important god, who couldn't really disappear in a gods arrangement.
Mantegna's Muses interpretation for Isabella d'Este.
Vulcanus and Mercury are left at the painting at the left and right border, as the real players of a chess game do not appear at the board.
Marriages were arranged by messengers, usually the husband-in-spe wasn't allowed to see the bride. And the whole group of the 24 units is parted in gods (the folk of the husband) and messengers (the folk of Mercury).
Further we have in astrology the specific condition, that only 11 zodiac signs existed and a 12th (just Libra, where Vulcanus was (Manilius) and Venus went to (my interpretation), is the new created zodiac sign.
Reading it this way, the dance (or move) of the (hidden chess) figures looked this way.
0. Venus went to Libra
1. Apollo went to Diane, but couldn't get her, so he got Licaste (forming shepherd romantic, very attractive in his time).
2. Diana moved to Cancer, cause Cancer was free, cause Mercury went out for commissions (and Cancer is reigned by the moon and Diane was the moon goddess).
3. Orpheus went to Diane and made music for her, but couldn't free her from Hades (his theme is Eurydike)
Vulcanus and Mercury became the outside players.
In the final scene (wedding) naturally Vulcanus as realized husband enters the scene, and gets Venus in Libra, and with the help of Erato makes love poems of the common nature.
4. As usual at weddings there was a lot of alcohol. Bachus and Sylenus take the free place at Taurus.
I don't know the person Licaste (somehow shepherd literature ?) ... what is behind her? Imaginable is, that Apollo took (in the imagination) the Leo position ... in the comparable Spirito text Apollo becomes (in hidden form) the god on the triumphal chariot and Leo is reigned by sun (= Apollo) as the moon reigns Cancer.
So far my adhoc interpretation, which I later might change a little bit.
It would be interesting to know, what play of theater was given.