| Sigismondo and Ercole, the brothers of Leonello, are 9 and 11 years old, so this document refers to a deck for kids.
This is the second entry about Trionfi from Ferrara (same year as the first). After that Trionfi is not mentioned for 8 years in Ferrara in the account books, so one might conclude, that the interest in them is not very high at the beginning. Perhaps they were only interesting to kids, which loved the new figures.
Instead of further early notes about Trionfi decks appear 6 entries, which document an interest in
Imperatori cards (1443). The price is around 12 soldi, which is around 1/8 of the price, which was paid for a single deck for Leonello in February, but, considering, that this is only "for the kids", this doesn't surprize. Still it is a rather expensive toy (a humble worker had
to work a week for this sum) and doesn't allow the conclusion, that a mass market for Trionfi deck existed at this time.
Ercole became later duke of Ferrara and it is assumed, that most of the playing cards that we know from Ferrara are commissioned under his rule. From Sigismondo is known, that he later lost heavy sums of money in gambling. The merchant Burdochi had in the year 1442 various exchanges with Sagramoro, the painter of the first mentioned Trionfi cards. From later years nothing in known about him. Compare: Kids and Burdochi |
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1442 [28 July credit to Marchione Burdochi, merchant]:E adi dicto per uno paro de carte da trionfi; ave Iacomo guerzo famelio per uxo de Messer Erchules e Sigismondo frateli de lo Signore. Apare mandato a c___, L. 0.XII.III [Franceschini 1996:170; cf. Bertoni 1917:220 note 3] | Preliminary translation by Ross Gregory Caldwell2) And on the said day for one pack of triumph cards; has Iacomo cross-eyed, servant, for the use of Masters Ercole and Sigismondo brothers of the Lord. Appearing in mandate at c. ______, .L. 0. XII. III |
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