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PLAYING CARDSVery early references- 1370/80
Ferrara
TRIONFI DOCUMENTATION Further Articles and Conclusions related partly also to the theme "Trionfi"
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Notes about Imperatori Decks in Ferrara (1423 - 1452)Exerpts about "Imperatori decks" from: Adriano Francesschini: Artisti a Ferrara in eta umanistica e rinescimentale. Testimonianze archivistiche. Parte I dal 1341 al 1471. Translations by Ross Gregory Caldwell.First Note 1423 - of great importance(compare our Imperatori chapter) The first entry about Imperatori decks is from a Computisteria entry of the Camera Ducale Estense for 1422-24. As Franceschini edits it, it is lines 137ff. under the letter "i".
* Zoesi or Zoese, the servant of Parisina, is later involved in the tragedy of Parisina. Frizzi tells: "It happened one day that a servant of the Marquis, named Zoese, or, as some call him, Giorgio, passing before the apartments of Parisina, saw going out from them one of her chamber-maids, all terrified and in tears." Zoese detects the love affaire between Ugo and Parisina by requesting the weeping maid and reports the case to Niccolo III. Then the dark destiny takes its run. This is apparently the only note about Imperatori cards until 1443-44. It is the only note, which gives a small hint ("VIII Imperatori cards"), how this specific type of deck differed from other playing card decks and also from the farspread Karnöffel game. ------------------------------------- Six short entries from 1443Then six short entries appear, from which 4 are clearly related to Imperatori-decks, 2 are likely to refer to Imperatori decks cause of context and price. In our analyses we saw a relation between Trionfi productions and Imperatori productions - Imperatori productions seem to have followed Trionfi productions. This gives reason to the suspicion, that the Trionfi production - which seems to have been related to real Trionfo events - increased the inerests in Imperatori cards. In the case of this entry we have the reason for a Trionfo festivities with Leonello becoming Signore of Ferrara in January 1442, the production of accompanying Trionfo decks in February 1442 and summer 1442 and the interest in Imperatori decks in 1443. The action of the Trionfo we couldn't identify. Perhaps it was only a projected Trionfo, which never was realised. The decks were naturally produced before the real event, they were part of the show. When life decided, that the Trionfo didn't take place (perhaps the reason, that we don't find any note about it), the decks existed already. In the case of of the "missing" Leonello-Trionfo it might perhaps suspected, that Leonello wished to avoid the envy of his more powerful neighbours and finally neglected this specific form of idleness for his own person (which - on the other side - probably was not a cheap investition. Filippo Maria Visconti was duke, he was in rank higher than Leonello, he was "allowed" to have aTrionfo. The marriage of Bianca Maria and Francesco Sforza in October 1441 was also a "very high event" - Bianca Maria was the daughter of the duke. Alfonso of Aragon, King of Naples, with his Trionfo in 1443 had also not a problem. But Leonello was only "Signore of Ferrara" and - perhaps - having a Trionfo of his own would have meant to grasp for the stars and this might have been easily interpreted as aggression. His brother Borso in 1452 had a Trionfo, but was made at the same opportunity made duke of Reggio and Modena by Emperor Frederick III.From Adriano Franceschini: Note d'archivio sulle carte ferraresi in Ludica 2, p. 170-174
Last entries about Imperatori decks after March 1450This entries follow the reappearance of Trionfi decks in Ferrara after an pause of 8 years in March 1450, just at the right time to correlate with the Trionfo of Francesco Sforza in Milan in the same month. Leonello attended this Trionfo as a guest and it seems, as if these decks were intended as a special present for the new duke of Milano. Again it sems, as if the procuction of Trionfi decks increased the interests in Imperatori decks.The Debits and Credits for 1450 records on 28 July of 1450 (Franceschini 1993, 647h)
The Computisteria, Memoriali 3 (M) for the year 1450 records on lines 114ff., 29 of August (Franceschini 1993, 645t) -
The Guardaroba 33 of Credits and Debits (N), for 1452, records on 11 February (Franceschini 1993, 688a)
Würzburg 1443 - 1455: The only note of the Imperatori game outside of Ferrara/Florence appears in Würzburg: Petrus Wann in his "Tractatus de contractibus" reports about a card game, that was played in the time of Fürstbischof Gottfried IV. (1443 - 55) during the Fasching time an which showed blasphemous tendencies against God and the Holy Virgin: "Et notandum vidi in Herbipoli, cum ibi essem ... Ille tempori Vaschangali (Fasching) unus quidam ibi ludens ad cartas ludum vocatum imperatoris, cum blasmephemaretdeum et beatumvirginem, captus fuit". Other notes refer to Ludus caesarum or Keyserspiel or Königsspiel or Karnöffel (if all names really refer to a similar game, is still an unsolved question). (autorbis) |