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The Emperor (from the Tarocchi, series E: Conditions of Man, #9), before 1467. Creator
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The Emperor (from the Tarocchi, series E: Conditions of Man, #9), before 1467. Creator
The Emperor (from the Tarocchi, series E: Conditions of Man, #9), before 1467. While differing greatly from traditional Tarocchi or tarot cards, this set earned its misleading name because of a few, unimportant similarities. Never a game, scholars generally agree that this set was an educational tool, used to visually describe a fifteenth-century philosophical model of the universe. It was believed that the universe was a ladder-like structure that began with the beggar and rose through the ranks of man, the muses, the liberal arts, the virtues, and the planets, until it finally reached the pinnacle, the dwelling place of God. Reflecting this order, these fifty engravings were divided into five groups of ten: the Conditions of Man; Apollo and the Muses; the Liberal Arts (with three added disciplines--Poetry, Philosophy, and Theology); the Virtues (with three personifications of cosmic principles called " genii" ); and the Firmaments of the Universe. Designed, engraved, and hand-coloured in gold by anonymous artists and craftsmen, the series exists in two versions. The museums set, known as the " E" series (named for the letter in the lower left corner of the prints in the first group of ten), is believed to be the original, while the " S" series (the letter " S" was substituted for the " E" ) is considered to be an inferior copy, made within a decade of the first
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Media ID 19648904
© Heritage Art/Heritage Images
Engraving Hand Coloured With Gold Ferrara Master Of The E Series Tarocchi Italian
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This print showcases "The Emperor" from the Tarocchi series, specifically from the Conditions of Man collection. Created before 1467, this set of engravings is not your typical tarot deck but rather an educational tool that visually represents a fifteenth-century philosophical model of the universe. Believed to be a ladder-like structure, this model starts with the beggar and ascends through various ranks including man, muses, liberal arts, virtues, and planets until it reaches its pinnacle - the dwelling place of God. The fifty engravings are divided into five groups: Conditions of Man; Apollo and the Muses; Liberal Arts (with additional disciplines); Virtues (featuring personifications called "genii"); and Firmaments of the Universe. Designed by anonymous artists and craftsmen who meticulously engraved and hand-colored them in gold, these prints exist in two versions. The original version is known as the "E" series due to a letter present in the lower left corner of each print within the first group. The second version is labeled as the "S" series since it replaced that letter with an "S". Scholars consider this later version to be an inferior copy created within ten years after the original. This print captures both artistic beauty and historical significance as it offers us a glimpse into how fifteenth-century scholars sought to understand and represent their understanding of existence through intricate visual storytelling.
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