EarlyTarot14201475

Tricktakingcardgames,whereoneofthefoursuitsis
designatedasatrumportriumphsuit,were
extremelypopularthroughoutEuropeinthelate
14thcentury.Intheearly15thcentury,someonegotthe
brightideaofcreatingafifthsuitofillustratedcardsto
serveasapermanenttrumpsuitforagamecalled
trionfi(trumps).Carddesignersilllustratedthissuit
withanimals,flowers,huntingscenes,ormoral
allegories.
TheFirstTrionfiDecks
ThefirstdeckofcardsweknowofwithanextratrumpsuitwascommissionedbyDukeFilippoMariaViscontiof
Milannolaterthan1425.Heaskedhissecretary,thehumanistscholarandastrologerMauriziodaTortona,to
deviseanallegoricalcardgamebasedonVirtuesandTemptations.Thedeckhadfoursuits,withfourextratrump
cardsdepictingclassicalgodsineachsuit.Thesetrumpsactedasavirtualfifthsuit.Thedeckwaspaintedby
theartistMichelinodaBesozzo,andwasconsideredexceptionallybeautiful.DaTortonawroteabookdescribing
thecardsandtheirallegoricalsignificance,makingthistheworldsfirstdeckandbookset!Thebookisinthe
BibliothequeNationaleinParis,butthedeckhasbeenlost.Acourtierinventingacardgameforanaristocratic
patronisonepossiblemodelforhowthefirstTarotdeckwasinvented.
CartedaTrionfi(trumpcards)arefirstmentionedinwritingintheDukeofFerraras1442accountbook.Wedont
knowifitreferstocardswithourfamiliartarotimages,ortoasetoftriumphswithflowersorhuntingscenes.Its
quitepossibleitwasthetarotdeckwearefamiliarwith,sinceadeckwiththestandardtwentytwotarottrumps
wasbecomingafavoriteatthecourtsofMilanandFerraraduringthe1440sand1450s.Wedontknowifthedeck
mentionedintheDukesaccountbookwashandpaintedorblockprinted.TheDukeownedaprintingpressatthat
time,butfifteenthcenturyaristocratsalsocommissionedhandpainted,goldandsilverleafedplayingcardsfrom
theirfavoriteartists.About270cardsfromatleast15painteddeckshavesurvivedtothepresentday.
EarlyTarotinMilan
TheoldesttarotdecksstillinexistencewereallpaintedintheworkshopoftheDukeofMilansfavoriteartist,
BonifacioBembo,andareknownbythenameofthemuseumorcollectiontheyarehousedin.Thetwoearliest,the
BreraBrambillaandtheCareyYaledecks,wereprobablycommissionedbyDukeMariaFilipppoViscontiinthe
1440s.Thepipcardshavearrowsinsteadofrods.Twodecks(TheCaryYaleandPierpontMorgan)havestraight
swordsinsteadofcurvedscimitars.ThesuitofcoinsshowsgoldcoinsmintedbytheDuke.TheCareyYaledeckhas
twoextracourtcardsineachsuit,aswellasthreeextratrumpcardsdepictingvirtues.Atthisearlydate,therewas
nosetstandardforthenumberortypeofcardsinatarotdeck.
Themostcompletedeckof15thcenturypaintedtarotcardsthatsurvivestodayisthePierpontMorganBergamo
deck,commonlyknownastheViscontiSforzadeck,commissionedin1450byFrancescoSforza,DukeofMilan.
Thetrumpcardshavenonameornumberonthem,buttheyobviouslydepictthesametarotarchetypeswehave
today.InFerrarainthe1470ssomeoneeitherreplacedseveralmissingtrumpcardsfromthisdeck,orcreatedcards

thatwereneverinthedecktobeginwith,tobringituptothestandardtwentytwo
trumps.ThisdeckdoesnothaveaTowerandDevilcard,andtwosuitcardsare
missingaswell.WehavenowayofknowingiftheDevilandTowerwerelostor
deliberatelyleftoutofthedeck.
EarlyTarotinFerrara
MilanmaygetthecreditforinventingTarot,but
theDukeofFerraraandhisfamilywerehuge
consumersofplayingcardsthroughoutthe
15thcentury.Startingin1422,theDukesaccount
booksshownumerousentriesforluxurioushand
painteddecksaswellastherepairofdamaged
cards.Anentryintheaccountbooksfor1442uses
thetermCartedaTrionfiforthefirsttime.The
DukeofMilanmayhavepurchasedjustasmany
decks,butwellneverknowashisrecordswere
destroyedinafirein1447.
Twohandpainteddecksfromabout1475andtwo
uncutsheetsofblockprinteddecksfromalittle
after1500showthatFerrarawasdevelopingauniqueTarotstyle.Strengthisawomanstandingnexttoapillar,
theHangedManholdstwobagsofmoney,Deathisonhorseback,andtheWorldcardshowsawomanstanding
onacirclethatenclosesaminiaturecity.Someoftheseimagesturnup200yearslaterintheParisianVievilledeck,
butthisstyledidntinfluencethedevelopmentofmainstreamTarot.
Onthenextpagewellseetherichvarietyofdecksin15thcenturyItaly.