AUTORBIS.net | created since 2003 |
The following passage is from the "Gentleman's Magazine", 1849. It describes a fragmentarious Tarocchi deck consisting of 19 cards (13 pips, six trumps), which is estimated by the author of being ca. 2 1/2 centuries old, so would be from ca. 1600.
Well, if all this is true, than the trumps have curious numbers and it is difficult to compare it to any other known deck. The Magician I is very unusual, a Devil has the unusual number XIII, a Justice the number XVIII and the Hermit the number XX.
Gentleman's Magazine 1849, Jan. - June p. 493
"These cards are nineteen in number: thirteen being of the ordinary suits, and six Tarocchi. They are considerably larger than our own cards, measuring 5 inches in length by 2 inc. in width. Of the suits there are: Spade, 6, 9. Coppe, 3. Bastoni, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10. Danari, 6, 10. The six Tarocchi have their entire surface occupied by pictures, printed from wood blocks, and painted (by means of stencils) in various colours. They have no names inscribed; but, taking them in the order of the numeral's which they bear, the designs may be thus specified: I. XIII. XIIII. XVIII. XX. Such are the few Tarocchi of this hitherto undescribed pack which have been submitted to our notice; and, if we judge correctly of their antiquity, it is probably not less than two centuries and a half, possibly rather more. " |