CHESS AND PLAYING-CARDS. 9iJ 



ars'unient in favor of the Gliiiiese origin of European cards, regar( 

 tlie Italian Tarot pack as a suggestive compound of the two nation 

 card games of China; Kon «', played with Kwan'p'ai (No. 80), and T' 

 lam., played with dominoes (No. 21), or domino-cards (No. 22). In tl 

 light thrown by the study of Korean cards upon the origin of ])layin 

 cards in Asia, the i^resent writer believes that -while it is more thf 

 probable European playing-cards had an identical origin with those 

 China, it is not yet apparent that there was any actual transference 

 cards or card games. In his opinion it may be concluded that the foi 

 suits of European cards were originally the emblems of the Foi 

 Directions. 



86. Tarocchi di Mantegna. Misero (I); Mnrfe (Mars) (XL^' 



Keproductions^ of originals in the British Museum. From Wi 



shire. 

 The first is regarded by some as the source of the design on tl 

 Matto or Fou of the Tarot series, and tlie second that of J^ Carro [YY. 

 The resemblance between the emblems testifies either to a descent 

 both compositions from an antecedent or common tyjie, or that the pie 

 No. 7 of the old Venetian Tarots is simply a modification of No. 45 

 the Italian sequence (Willshire). 



87. MiNCHiATE. Playing-Cards.^ Florence, Italy. Nineteenth centur 

 Pack of ninety-seven cards, comprising fifty-six numeral-cards ai 



forty-one atutti. The former are similar to those of the precedii 

 pack (No. 85). The atutti from I to XXV are numbered. 



Willshire describes the characteristics of the Florentine Minchia 

 as follows : 



lu place of the twenty-two atutti of the old Venetian sequence there are fori 

 one tarots proper, i. e., nineteen of the older series, or what are equivalent to the 

 and twenty-two additional tarots, including the Matto or Fou. The chief modifi( 

 tions of the old Venetian seqiience are : the figure of Le Pape (No. V) is withdrawn ; 

 I'apcsse (No. II) becomes Le Grand Due; U Imptratrhe (No. Ill) and L' Empercur (I' 

 IV) represent the "Emperor of the West" and the ''Emperor of the East" re8p( 

 tively; VHermUc (No. IX) becomes an old man ujion crutches {Le Sahlier No. X 

 haviug behind him a star and above his shoulders an hourglass transfixed by an arro 

 while La Maison Dun ou la Foudre (No. XVI) is discarded, or is perhaps uietanK 

 phosed into L'Enfvr (No. XV), L'EtoUe(^o. XVII;, La Lune (No. XVIII), Le Sol 

 (No. XIX), aud Le Monde (No. XXI) are retained. To this slight modification 

 the old Venetian Tarots are added the three theological virtues, Faith (No. XVII 

 Hope (No. XVI), and Charity (No. XIX). Other additional pieces are: One of t 

 four cardinal virtues, Prudence (No. XVII) j the four elements of the ancient philos 

 phers. as Fire (No. XX), Water (No. XXI), Earth (No. XXII), Air (No. XXIII); t 

 twelve signs of the Zodiac (Nos. XXIV to XXXV) ; the remainder of the series cc 

 eluding with the Star, the Moon, the Sun, the World, and La licnomm^e. 



Willshire states that there is a tradition that MincMate was invent( 

 by Michael Angelo to teach children arithmetic. 



^ Lent by Stewart Culiu. 



2 Cat. No. 15641, Mus. Arch., Univ. Penn. 



