It seems worthwhile to show some examples of that motif. First, however, Mary and Huck have recently been exploring one of my favorite resources, the British Museum database. It has a great many allegorical and religious prints of interest to Tarot enthusiasts, as well as numerous decks of playing cards, Ghisi Labyrinth prints, E-Series prints, and so on. It is well worth exploring. Two especially noteworthy items are fortune-telling sheets from the 18th Century. I was going to post about them back in 2010, shortly after I posted about some depictions of fortune-telling from the same era, but I thought someone else should do so -- putting them in context better than I could. At this point I don't think that they've been posted about yet, so I'll mention them in passing:To put the figure in a Christian-societal context, there are assorted devotional prints which use a tripartite division of Mankind. The images typically include 1) a pope and ranked representatives of Sacerdotum near the bottom on one side, 2) an emperor and ranked representatives of Imperium near the bottom on the other side, and 3) sinners burning in Hell, centered at the very bottom of the page. If one were to make an allegorical cycle from these images, to serve as the lowest cards in a game, one could not do better than to personify the leaders and their subjects as sponsa and sponsus, creating an empress and popess for the brides, and using a fool and deceiver to symbolize the enticing folly and deception of this world which lead to damnation.
Sponsa and Sponsus
http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php? ... tcount=340
Cartomancie, Ou L'art de tirer les cartes (circa 1780s)
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/s ... 2&partid=1
Nouvelle Maniere de Tirer les Cartes Invente en 1792
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/s ... 2&partid=1
In terms of the tripartite societal analysis mentioned the other day, the British Museum has a devotional print with the Man of Sorrows and a monstrance (like an Ace of Cups) being adored by such a grouping. In this detail from the print I've highlighted parallels with the lowest trumps.
Man of Sorrows Devotional with Ranks of Man
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/s ... 2&partid=1
The next one is my favorite, (although it comes from a different image database), partly because the secular ranks of man clearly includes a peasant, with his scythe and flail, holding a soft hat like the prop shown on the table in the V-S Bagatto card. I have highlighted the rulers (sponsus) of Church and State to emphasize the distinction from their subjects (sponsa).
Monogram of Christ Devotional with Ranks of Man
http://www.virtuelles-kupferstichkabine ... tWerk=3065
There are many Rosary prints, including ones with the Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary, which show an emperor and pope as part of a ranks of man motif. There are a few which also show sinners in Hell, the motif in question here. Here is one in a detail from a British Museum print.
The Great Rosary
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/s ... 7&partid=1
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/s ... 7&partid=1
Best regards,
Michael
P.S. I have posted 1600px versions of the two cartomancy prints.
La Crédulité Sans Réflexion
http://pre-gebelin.blogspot.com/2012/01 ... exion.html
P.P.S. I corrected the sponsus/groom/ruler and sponsa/bride/subjects references, which I had reversed.