Tarot History Forum

SteveM wrote: 08 Jul 2025, 20:29

Ross Caldwell wrote: 08 Jul 2025, 20:23

SteveM wrote: 08 Jul 2025, 20:20
After Rainier’s article on Boiardo’s card game, there is another article by Carlo Tincani about Boiardo’s translations, incluing that of The Golden Ass by Apuleius, which Boiardo made in the 1470 at the request of Leonello d'Este.

Surely he means Borso d'Este - Leonello died in 1450 (and had no need for translations).

Oops - my error (~Tincani doesn't mention who it was for) - It was at the request of Ercole d'Este, I have changed it now, thanks

SteveM wrote: 09 Jul 2025, 18:51
However, there was a supposed translation into the vernacular by Boiardo's grandfather Feltrino Boiardo for Leonello d'Este. But beside a reference to it in De politia litteraria by Angelo Decembrio, little else is known of it AFAIK.

Huck wrote: 08 Jul 2025, 22:14 Italian text
Error Iacob fe' sette e sette anni
Servir, ché di Rachel Laban non disse;
Ma il tempo restauro tutti i soi danni.

English translation
An error make Jabob a slave for seven years,
Because he did not speak of Rachel to Laban;
But time repaired all his damage.

Now that I have fully written about the four card games, I must now discuss the Triumphs: their meanings, their images, and the verses described in them, to explain in detail.
0 .... And from what I have given a good beginning, from what I am, from what has been said, I will similarly profit: and this is what the fool is called in this game. He is depicted riding a donkey, without a bridle, dressed in red, with a yellow hood on his head, and with two round bells attached to two ears that are in the hood, one on each side; and this hood has a green tail, like the ear-ears, which, starting from the back of his shoulders, turns toward his head. And he is girded with his robe drawn all around him; and he has a wide sleeve at the mouth, with a yellow frill at the edge, and in the last lace of the said sleeve is another little bell. And on his foot he has a small boot turned under the knee, and that part that turns is yellow; and the rest is red. The other foot and the other hand are not visible because they are all painted on the side, except for the face: which is not white, with two large black eyes, a blotchy nose, and with thick lips and an open mouth, and with two black eyebrows joined together, and with a wrinkled forehead. And from what I could imagine seeing him, it seemed to me that I saw the image of that man: and in addition to all these things mentioned, he holds a round globe in his hand: in which the sea, and rivers, and mountains, and cities are seen depicted; and stands above this world with his chest and chin resting, and his legs drawn up: to which the donkey turns his head, as if he wanted to kiss his feet; and above himself he holds three verses, which are the beginning of the fifth Chapter, which is expounded throughout the Triumphs. In these verses, which, together with the others, will be noted below, the figure is revealed, so particular and described by me at length, because I am closely related to him by blood.

1 .... The first Triumph, which is of a point, is called Leisure; and the figure is of Sardanapalus, king, if I remember correctly, of the Assyrians, who, given over to luxury and gluttony, did not know how to govern the kingdom, and was the first to find feathers in which to sleep. This, speaking of Sardanapalus, seemed to me to be able to say. His figure is delicate: he wears a white cloak of a light blue color, and on his head is a golden crown; and he sits on a yellow stool; and under the cloak he is dressed in black; and at his feet lies a marmot, which is a lazy, idle, and sleepy animal; and above him are the verses that name him, which begin with the word Idleness. And throughout the Chapter of Triumphs, the tercets begin with that word which signifies the figure of the Triumph painted below them. And at the foot of all the Triumphs are animals of the same nature which is the Triumph. The number of these Triumphs, beginning with Idleness, which is placed for one, is found written in a canto of the short poem which is painted above their heads.
2 .... The second Triumph, designated by the binary number, is Fatigue, which is described by Hippolyta, who was Queen of the Amazons for her great toil. She is painted in the form of a Nymph, with her chest and right sleeve black; she is girded with a belt of the same color, which is shown raised and twisted behind her shoulders; she has a green veil on her head; and her shirt, from the belt down, is white. In her right hand she holds a spear; in her left a yellow shield, with a mirror in the middle, which covers her entire arm. And at her feet are many ants, which among the other animals are lovers of toil. And above her head is a trio, as in the others.
3 .... Desire is the third Triumph, signified by Atheon, who desired to see divine things, and, seeing Diana in a fountain, she transformed herself naked into a deer, pouring water over his face with her hands. The painting is of a man in a yellow-striped jacket, the rest of which is black; and his stockings are blue and white, divided into many stripes. The head is that of a deer, with two long horns of gold and stag-like color, with an open mouth; and he holds a lasso in his left hand, and in his right he shows fear; and he has two dogs biting him; and at his feet a seated leopard, an animal very eager to pursue wild beasts. And he holds his trio above his head in the order mentioned.
4 .... The reason for the fourth Triumph is written, and the figure representing it is Petrarch's Laura, dressed like Hippolyta, and holding a standard in her hand; and on a green field is a white ermine; and before her is Love, with his hands tied behind him and his wings plucked; and under his feet is his bow and quiver. And on one side is a bee's hoof, with its holes, and with the bees flying around it. These are placed for the reason, like animals that proceed in their activities with great eagerness. And above Laura's head are verses that speak of her, not as sweetly as before.
5 .... In the place of the fifth Triumph is seen the Secret, and through him Antiochus is depicted, dressed in a black cloak that should be dark, with blond hair and a delicate face; and at his feet is an ostrich, which I believe is meant to pay off all hardship and convert it into its own blood, not to send it out through a secret place. And, as in the other Triumphs, above his head are three verses of him.
6 .... Grace is seen in the sixth Triumph, and in the painting is represented by three women who are the three Graces: they are depicted naked, with golden hair down to their shoulders; hidden in the less beautiful parts with white and fine veils, so that they do not hide themselves, but with their arms held the veil, it seems to anyone who looks at them; and one looks at the other as if they were conversing together. At her feet is seen a Phoenix, turning its beak inward, and standing within a pyre, with outstretched wings. And these Graces have the Phoenix as their own; because they are found in one age in a single subject. Above these Graces are three very aptly placed verses.
7 .... Disdain is shown for the seventh Triumph, for which King Herod is placed in the painting, who led his dear and beloved Mariana to death out of anger, then calling her and lamenting with Love. And he is depicted with a golden crown on his head, covered with a black cloak, and dressed in blue underneath; beating his chest with his hands, and with his mouth open, weeping; and sitting on a yellow stool, with a bear at his feet, most disdainful of all the other animals: so that, tearing his small wounds, he kills himself with his own hands. And let them be versed in this Triumph as in the others.
8 .... Patience, following Anger, is represented in the eighth place by Psyche, who, by suffering her adversities most patiently, deserved to be placed among the goddesses. This is our soul, which, after great toil, rises from the ugliness of the world, takes wings, granted to it by Jove's grace, and soars with divine aid to Heaven, where, through merit of its toil, having taken a happy life, it becomes a goddess. The image of Psyche is in the form of a nymph, dressed in a black cloak, with a white shirt underneath, and holding part of her cloak in both hands. At her feet, on one side, is a broken bow, with a scroll lying beneath it; and on the other side are two bare wings and a grey horse with a black bridle, who, being generous, patiently endures every toil. And above the head of the said Psyche are three verses that speak of her.
9 .... An error is seen in the ninth Triumph, for Jacob, imported into the figure, who, having served Leah for seven years, believed he had deserved Rachel, and in this he greatly erred: and for seven more years he became Laban's servant for love of Rachel; as our Petrarch says <>. The figure of Jacob is that of a young man, dressed as a shepherd, with a hat behind him and a flask at his side; with a grisette and a pair of black sheep standing; on a knotted staff supported with his hands and head, with his right leg surrounding him; and around him are many sheep, which easily err, all following the error of one. With which, in the background, a dog is seen lying on the ground to guard them, laden with a collar of iron thorns, lest he be strangled by a wolf. Indeed, they are tied above the head of anyone who looks at them, making some mention of Jacob.
10 .... Following Error is Perseverance, with the verses as mentioned, by which Penelope is seen painted, who with great perseverance wove and unwound the woven web for many years, awaiting her dear husband, who was wandering about the world. This one is on a loom painted with warp, and a comb, and a boat, and the stones that move with their feet, and provided with everything else. On it are some hirundines standing, and some flying around them. The color of the loom is beret, and Penelope's dress is dark black, with a green breast; and is in the form of those who work at weaving with feet and hands, with their hair down to their shoulders.
11 .... Doubt is found in the eleventh place with verses appropriate to it, and is signified by King Aegeus: that there is doubt about the arrival of his son Theseus because he has ...

????? Yes, I see, that was recently discussed, that something was missing

(17) [Danger] ...because of the figure of Caesar described, who was killed by Brutus and Cassius in the Senate. In the picture, he is dressed in a black cloak, and underneath a robe of gold; the cloak falls from his shoulders. And next to him are Brutus and Cassius, covered in red: one with a dagger stuck in Caesar's chest; the other in the act of chasing him. At their feet is seen a furious bull, which signifies danger, since he strikes with his horns without seeing how, which is extremely dangerous for the striker.
18 .... In the eighteenth Triumph, Experience is seen, with its trio, represented by Rhea, who was Jove's mother; who, through much experience, took the newborn child away to save him from the wrath of Saturn and gave him to the Coryphantian people: who educated him with cymbals on a mountain in Crete, and made a noise with kisses, so that his cried would not be heard by Saturn. Of this Rhea, the painting is a woman, with her head veiled in black, dressed in light black, with a blue chest, who is looking at the top of a mountain, where some small men can be seen. And she has before her a small child in swaddling clothes, with a black eagle above him, with outstretched wings; as one who is expert in many things, because of the length of her life, and the distance of the places she finds herself to have seen, she was chosen by Jove as his trusty bird.
19 .... Time follows Experience, with his verses, in the nineteenth Triumph. He is depicted in the form of an Old Man, wearing a black robe and a cloak of iridescent wool; and in his tired hand he is busy with a small cross. On the right is a stag with long horns, which, because it is of the longest life, is placed with Time.
20 .... After Time, in the twentieth place, Oblivion follows, with his ternary, in the form of a painted old woman, with a yellow veil around her head and neck; with black sleeves and a blue robe, but lost in many places through the eternity of time; and he holds a chain in his hand wrapped around a lynx, which drinks from water poured from the river Lethe, which is wont to deprive those who drink of all memory. These figures are placed for this triumph because old age signifies oblivion, and the lynx is a very forgetful animal; and Lethe is a river that instills oblivion in the souls of those who drink it: which takes from the memory of men, and leads to Lethe all famous things, as was Dido so often named by Virgil.
21 .... The last Triumph, in the twenty-first place, and with its verses, is Fortitude of Mind, signified by Lucretia of Rome (and not by Sister Felice, as the composer wishes); who through fortitude of mind killed herself with her own hands, revealing her chaste will to the whole world. This is in the form of a beautiful painted young woman, with her hair scattered, who, with her right hand, plunges a knife into her chest; dressed in a black cloak above and green below, with a red shirt, and on his left he holds a lion, which among other animals is praised for its strength.

These are the Triumphs described in detail; in which a Chapter is read of twenty-two tercets, divided into twenty-two cards of Triumphs, with the Fool. Beginning from this, the Chapter begins in this way, adapting the second tercet to the second Triumph, the third to the third, and so on with the others; placing the Fool in this number. Beginning from this, the verses read as follows:

mikeh wrote: 23 Jun 2025, 13:20 Yes, I agree, about the Italian speaker - as long as he or she was willing to examine Livy as well.

. . .
A me sembra infatti, che ben si apponesse il Venturi quando ravvisò in questi capitoli "uno de' primi lavori poetici" del conte [Ediz. cit. delle Poesie del B., p. 70.]. È facile il discernervi la poca esperienza nel poetare, la difficoltà nel trovare la rima, qualcosa di stiracchiato e di legnoso, che è ben lungi dalla soave armonia del canzoniere d' amore e dall' onda di molte ottave dell' Innamorato. Non credo quindi di andar molto lungi dal vero ponendone la composizione nei primi anni del soggiorno ferrarese del conte, allorchè egli, non ancora trentenne, stabilì la sua dimora in Ferrara [Tiraboschi, Bibl. Moden., I, 293. Quindi verso il 1461.], ove si acquistò fama, non solo di abile negoziatore, ma di "cavaliere spiritosissimo" e "adornato delle più isquisite e singolarissime qualità" [Libanori, Ferarra d' oro imbrunito, Ferrara, 1665, P. III, p. 208.]. Il giuoco poetico fu quindi destinato ad uno di quei molti trattenimenti sociali, di cui si allietarono le nostre corti del rinascimento.

[It seems to me, in fact, that Venturi was right when he recognized in these chapters "one of the count's first poetic works" [Ediz. cit. of Poesie del B., p. 70.]. It is easy to discern in them the little experience in writing poetry, the difficulty in finding the rhyme, something strained and wooden, which is far from the sweet harmony of the love poetry and the wave of many octaves of the Innamorato. I do not believe, therefore, that I am far from the truth in placing their composition in the first years of the count's stay in Ferrara, when he, not yet thirty years old, established his home in Ferrara [ Tiraboschi, Bibl. Moden., I, 293. Then around 1461. ], where he acquired fame, not only as a skilled negotiator, but as a "very witty knight" and "adorned with the most exquisite and singular qualities" [ Libanori, Ferarra d' oro imbrunito, Ferrara, 1665, P. III, p. 208. ]. The poetic game was therefore destined to be one of those many social entertainments that our courts of the Renaissance enjoyed.]
. . .
Nulla ci dice il Viti della ragion d' essere che ha questa serie; ma a me sembra assai probabile che il conte di Scandiano, geniale imitatore del Petrarca nel suo conzoniere amoroso, abbia anche in questo capitolo seguito un componimento petrarchesco, i Trionfi. Nei Trionfi, come tutti sanno, amore è superato da castità, castità da morte, morte da fama, fama da tempo, tempo da divinità. Un elemento trionfa dell' altro; i primi cinque giù in terra, il sesto in cielo. Concetto non dissimile parmi vedere adombrato nel quinto capitolo. Se non che qui non abbiamo una serie fatta a catena, ma le relazioni ci appaiono sempre fra due elementi consecutivi. Il primo posto è del matto, che si fa combinare con l' ultimo trionfo, il mondo, mentre il posto del mondo è occupato dalla fortezza. Nei trionfi intermedi osserviamo che, secondo la serie ascendente, fatica vince ozio, ragione vince desio, grazia vince secreto, pazienza vince sdegno, perseveranza vince errore, fede vince dubbio, sapienza vince inganno, modestia vince caso [È questo l' unico luogo in cui non intendo troppo bene la relazione fra i due elementi.], esperienza vince pericolo, oblivione vince tempo.

[Viti tells us nothing about the reason for being [i.e., rationale] for this series; but it seems highly probable to me that the Count of Scandiano, a brilliant imitator of Petrarch in his love poetry, also followed a Petrarchan composition, the Triumphs, in this chapter. In the Triumphs, as everyone knows, love is surpassed by chastity, chastity by death, death by fame, fame by time, time by divinity. One element triumphs over the other; the first five on earth, the sixth in heaven. A similar concept seems to me to be hinted at in the fifth chapter. Except that here we don't have a chained series, but the relationships always appear to us between two consecutive elements. The first place is occupied by the Fool, who is combined with the last trump, the World, while the World's place is occupied by Fortitude. In the intermediate trumps we observe that, according to the ascending series, toil conquers idleness, reason conquers desire, grace conquers secrecy, patience conquers disdain, perseverance conquers error, faith conquers doubt, wisdom conquers deception, modesty conquers chance [ This is the only place where I don't understand the relationship between the two elements very well. ], experience conquers danger, oblivion conquers time.]
. . .
Il giuoco del Boiardo, pertanto, quale il viti ce lo descrive, differisce assai dagli altri giuochi di società fatti con le carte, che sono a nostra cognizione [Vedi Bargagli, Vegghie sanesi, Venezia, 1581, pp. 101-2 e Ringhieri, Op. cit., c. 131 sgg.]. Esso costituisce un tipo a sè, curioso sotto vari rispetti: pel simbolismo morale, che tutto lo informa; per la parte grande che vi hanno l' antichità classica e la mitologia; per l' uso singolare che vi si fa del mazzo dei tarocchi.

[Boiardo's game, therefore, as Viti describes it, differs greatly from other card games known to us [ See Bargagli, Vegghie sinesi, Venice, 1581, pp. 101-2 and Ringhieri, Op. cit., c. 131 ff. ]. It constitutes a type in itself, curious in various respects: for the moral symbolism that informs it all; for the large part that classical antiquity and mythology play in it; for the singular use made of the tarot pack.]

Huck wrote: 13 Jul 2025, 13:43 Was there any info about the Viti text after "Dubbio" till "Julius Cesar", which I've overlooked ?

mikeh wrote: 14 Jul 2025, 02:03 I am not sure who the author of the parts in blue (the same color in the link) is; I assume Renier, and that they are footnotes.

mikeh wrote: 14 Jul 2025, 02:03 How modesty overcomes chance is a good question: I would suppose that it has to do with chance offering self-gratifying temptations, which modesty declines to take advantage of.