The problem is that there is no reason to think there must be a narrative in the sequence; a hierarchy can be clear without narrative to help it along. This is my default position, especially after "Omnia vincit amor" fell. When I saw that the card could be interpreted as lightning alone,...

With reference to the Visconti-Sforza World card: the Heavenly Jerusalem (Ierusalem Celestis) from a manuscript of the "Liber Floridus".

Hello Ross, thank you very much for the detailed discussion about the Devil and "Fire from Heaven". Your point is clearer now. I would like to comment more, but I could not found the time for reasoning and documenting myself on the subject. Something I found particularly interesting: I had...

Hello Ross, thank you very much for this great post! I like your exposition of the three layers and I find the Naples and pseudo-Mantegna examples very clear. I would like to go deeper into the assignment of the Devil to the central section: a point I am not sure I understand. At the beginning of yo...

A repost of the image I found with similarities to the Cary Sheet Devil: http://www.tarothistory.com/images/ms29433.jpg Title of Work: Book of Hours Illustrator: Master of the Brussels Initials Production: France (Paris), circa 1407 Description: (Whole folio) A scene in Hell; historiated initial an...

Hello Huck, from Pratesi's article, I understand that Aldrovandi's text is a manuscript and was not published before 1904. Pratesi's comment about the text being "printed for a wedding occasion" refers to the printed 1904 edition. Apparently, the document is not considered very important b...

In the title of the Museo Cospiano book appears a "Museo Cospiano annesso a quello del famoso Ulisse Aldrovandi" ... ... does this "annesso" indicate, that part of the presented material in the Museo (possibly inclusive the very interesting card games; see ... http://forum.tarot...

A printer's device featuring Truth and the symbols of the four Evangelists (Venice, 1604, from Le orationi volgari di Luigi Groto ): verita.png The Ascension of Jesus (from a 15th Century German engraving illustrating the Creed ): http://forum.tarothistory.com/download/file.php?id=1247 ascendit.png

I have collected a few links about the Fifteen Signs before Doomsday. Apparently, the most ancient source is Petrus Damianus. * Petrus Damianus (1007-1072) - Opusculum 59. De Novissimis Et Antichristo [Latin] http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/04z/z_1007-1072__Petrus_Damianus__Opusculum_59._De_No...

Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) an allegory of Water (from this page).