My current tarot obsession is the 50-card Tarocchi di Mantegna (or Mantegna Tarot) from 15th century Italy. These are 50 instructional cards subdivided into five “suits” or groupings:
- The Human Condition,
- The Muses & Apollo,
- The Classical Liberal Arts,
- The Cardinal Virtues, and
- The Heavenly Spheres.
From 1 to 5 we see the ascent of the human soul. Grouping 1 represents the social hierarchy from the Wretched (Impoverished), Servant, and Artisan to Magistrate, King, and Pope. This is the Earthly realm.
The Nine Muses led by Apollo in Grouping 2 corresponds with the Aristotelian element Fire. The Classical Liberal Arts are the intellections that arise from the element Air. The Cardinal Virtues correspond with Water. And finally, Grouping 5, the Heavenly Spheres, corresponds with Spirit.
Below I’ve arranged the cards in sequential order by their card numbers, and by the five groupings, with 10 cards in each set.
You can click on any of these image files for an enlarged view of the cards. At the very end of this post are links to zip files for you to download the formatted high-res image files if you’d like to print out your own deck.
Continue reading “Tarocchi di Mantegna (1465) Instructional Engravings”
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