Read here. - R.I.L.K.O.

by
Giordano
Berti
Giordano Berti is a well-known Italian writer,
historian and teacher on the History of Art.
He has a worldwide reputation as an expert
on the History of the Tarot, and is the author
of many articles and books.
Giordano specialises in studies of the close
relationship between Esotericism and Art,
and has helped organise several exhibitions
devoted to esoteric topics, including Tarot.
He has personally designed Tarots which
have been painted by contemporary artists.
Giordano Berti began his study of the SolaBusca Tarot in 1986.
Although many of the Sola-Busca card images are available to view on the internet, there are no widely available
modern reproductions of this deck, unlike the Tarot of Marseilles. However, in 1998, in Germany, Wolfgang Mayer did
produce a fine and accurate reproduction of the Sola-Busca Tarot in a limited edition of 700 copies of the full 78 card
deck. The images which accompany this article are reproduced from the cards of the 1998 Mayer reprinted deck.
Following the death of Wolfgang Mayer in 2012, Giordano Berti purchased a number of remaining Sola-Busca decks,
and some of these are still available. See: www.solabuscatarot1998mayer.wordpress.com
The 22 Trumps of the Sola-Busca Tarot as reprinted by Wolfgang Mayer (Germany 1998)
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Leopoldo Cicognara and the Busca-Serbelloni Tarot
The Sola Busca Tarot
by Giordano
Berti
An enigmatic 78 card Tarot deck
emerges from the Renaissance...
The Sola-Busca Tarot cards are absolutely unique in
Tarot history, since this is the only extant and complete
15th century tarot deck, with 78 all-illustrated cards.
It is the only ancient deck in which all 56 “Minor” cards
are illustrated with characters, instead of the traditional
symbols. However, before entering into a discussion of
its unique symbolism it will be useful to know something
of the history of this beautiful deck.
The name “Sola-Busca”, as attributed to this deck,
comes from the noble Milanese family which had owned
these 78 cards from 1948. In 2009 the cards were
purchased for € 800.000 by the Italian Ministry of
Heritage and Culture and delivered to the Pinacoteca of
Brera, in Milan.
Few scholars have discussed these cards, even briefly,
and foremost amongst these was the nobleman
Leopoldo Cicognara (Ferrara 1787 – Venice 1834).
Count Cicognara was the first historian to date the SolaBusca Tarot. Here is an extract from his book “Memoirs
to serve the history of intaglio printing” (“Memorie
spettanti alla storia della calcografia”) published in Prato
(1831), pp. 161-162:
“Here is the result of my diligent studies of s deck
of cards printed in Venice with the permission of the
Senatus Venetus in year MLXX ab urbe condita.
That date is on the figure of Bacchus n. XIV and
corresponds to the year 1491, because the Venetian
Era (ab urbe condita = birth of the town), starts from
the year 421, not from 453 as sometimes mistakenly
stated...
This valuable document is held in Milan by the
noble Madam Marchioness Busca, born Duchess
Serbelloni, who kindly allowed me to make a
diligent investigation. It was clear, after an accurate
examination, that these cards were carefully carved
on copper, since signs are visible through the
colour overlay…..so that you can see the traces of
the original impression. This is precisely the same
edition of cards that Zani reported having seen
divided in two Cabinets in Naples, and I also verified
this…
The figures have various denominations. Here are a
few examples: The King of Cups is called Lucius
Caecilius R. and the Queen is Polyxena. The King of
Coins is King Philip, the Queen is Elena and the
Knight is Sarafino. The Jack of Spades is called
Panfilio… See Table XII.”
From the above text of Cicognara we learn various
interesting things:
1. Cicognara was the first to date the deck as coming
from the foundation of Venice: MLXX ad urbe condita,
i.e. 1070+421 = 1491.
2. Up until the beginning of the 19th century the deck
belonged to the noble family Busca-Serbelloni, but we
do not know if it came through the women’s branch of
the family (the Duchess Serbelloni) or through the male
branch (the Marquis Busca).
3. There existed in Naples, divided into two private
collections, an incomplete deck of these cards which
certainly was not painted, because in this case both
Zani and Cicognara would have highlighted this detail.
It is necessary to explain the reference of Cicognara to
Pietro Zani, author of a book titled “Materiali per servire
alla storia dell’origine e de’ progressi dell’incisione
in rame e in legno” (“Materials to serve the history of the
origin and progress of copper engraving in wood”)
Parma, Stamperia Carmignani, 1803.
Portrait of Count Leopoldo Cicognara (1825)
Ludovico Lipparini, Venice, Gallerie dell’Accademia
4. The text of Cicognara directs the reader to view a
table of illustrations (Table XII) which does not exist in
the book.
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As it happens I recently acquired a copy of the Table XII quoted by Cicognara, together with a Table XIII not mentioned
in that book but obviously connected to it. Below I present two engravings (460mm x 320mm) containing some of the
Sola-Busca cards, which were reproduced by Cicognara through transparent paper, then printed on single-sheets and
added to the portfolio which contained the book of “Memoirs”. This portfolio has become extremely rare today, so I am
very pleased to showcase these two prints which presently enrich my personal collection of ancient Tarot.
Two sheets of cards from Sola-Busca Tarot, extract from the portfolio annex to Memoirs to serve
the history of intaglio printing, (1831) by Leopoldo Cicognara. Private collection of Giordano Berti
King of Disks and King of Amphoras, from the Tab. XII of the portfolio annex to Memoirs to serve the
history of intaglio printing (1831) by Leopoldo Cicognara. Private collection of Giordano Berti
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Recent studies on the Sola-Busca Tarot
On this and on other contributions is based the critical
study by Laura Paola Gnaccolini in the catalogue of the
exhibition “The secret of secrets. The Sola Busca
Tarot” (Milan 2012), in which the most important
contribution to the history of the Sola-Busca was the
designation of the author: Nicola di maestro Antonio
(Florence 1448 – Ancona 1511). You can see a short
video on YouTube, or go to the web page of Pinacoteca
di Brera dedicated to the exhibition.
During the two last decades of the 20th century a few
Tarot historians had written about the Sola-Busca Tarot,
including myself, Giordano Berti, in the catalogue of the
exhibit “The Tarot. Game and magic at the Court of the
Este family” (“I Tarocchi. Gioco e magia alla Corte degli
Estensi”, Castello Estense, Ferrara 1987).
On this occasion there were presented twenty-four
original cards of the Sola-Busca Tarot, as preserved in
the Graphische Sammlung Albertina in Wien.
Marzia Faietti, of the Bologna City Art Gallery, wrote an
important study in the catalogue of the exhibit “The
Muses and the Prince” (“Le Muse e il Principe”, Museo
Poldi Pezzoli, Milan, 1991), in which there were
exhibited to the public for the first time all 78 cards
provided by Sola-Busca family.
Some years later, in a book titled “Ancient Enlightened
Tarot. Alchemy in the Sola-Busca Tarot” (“Antichi
Tarocchi illuminati. L’alchimia nei Tarocchi Sola-Busca”,
Turin, 1995, with preface by Giordano Berti), the scholar
Sofia Di Vincenzo indicated how the 78 cards of the
Sola-Busca Tarot relate to the alchemical thought of the
Renaissance. The book was accompanied by a version
of the Sola-Busca Tarot created by a contemporary
artist, on paper, from the early 20th century.
Cover of the exhibition catalogue “The Secret of
Secrets” Brera National Gallery, Milano – Italy
Recently, the authorship of the Sola-Busca cards was
associated with the painter Nicola di maestro Antonio
(Florence 1448 – Ancona 1511). The year of completion
is given as around 1490-91. It is unknown whether
Nicola composed the 78 figures as his own invention or
if he had been commissioned. It is certain, however, that
copies of the deck were reserved for a number of
clients. In fact, the cards were printed using the
copperplate method and reproduced on paper in an
unknown quantity of specimens. Each card measuring
approximately 78 x 146 mm, but this measure is variable
due to the artisan manufacturing process. Some public
and private collections preserve various cards of the
Sola-Busca Tarot in black-and-white. Some of these
were displayed in an historical exhibit organized by
myself, Giordano Berti, together with Andrea Vitali, at
the Estense Castle in Ferrara in 1987: “The Tarot: game
and magic at the Estense court“.
Thus it can be seen that the Sola-Busca Tarot is an
authentic work of knowledge whose secrets are bound
to the hermetic-alchemical culture that had a reemergence in Italy in the 15th century and
subsequently spread across the rest of Europe.
The only complete colour copy with all 78 cards (handcoloured a few years after printing the deck) is today
owned by Pinacoteca di Brera, since 2009. There are
two modern reprint versions of the Sola-Busca Tarot, but
these are either incomplete or somewhat distorted as to
colours and sizes. The only deck which is adherent to
the original was printed privately by Wolfgang Mayer in
1998 in only 700 copies, personally hand-numbered by
him on an additional card, and personally signed by him.
The deck was made, as Mayer wrote, for “collectors,
researchers, and mystery lovers”.
Regarding the meanings of the 78 cards, the most
interesting interpretation was provided by Prof. Sofia Di
Vincenzo in her “Ancient illuminated Tarot – Alchemy in
Tarot Sola-Busca” (Turin 1995 and Stamford 1998).
Cover of “Sola Busca Tarot”
by Sofia Di Vincenzo
with preface by Giordano Berti
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SOLA-BUSCA TAROT AND ALCHEMY
by Laura Paola Gnaccolini
Alchemical Symbolism
The fundamental study of the Italian esotericist scholar
Sofia Di Vincenzo, began, in 1995, a symbolic analysis
of the 56 Minor Arcana of this extraordinary deck,
suggesting that it is actually an illustrated treatise that
explains the secrets processes of spiritual Alchemy.
Alchemy and Alexander the Great
S14 ALEXANDER
In the above-mentioned
catalogue of the exhibit “The
Secret of Secrets” , Laura
Paola Gnaccolini focuses on
the figure of Alexander the
Great as “King of Swords”,
and some characters related
to him.
Twenty-eight years later, the catalogue of the exhibit
The Secret of Secrets. The Sola-Busca Tarot and the
hermetic-alchemic culture in the Marche and Veneto
at the end of 15th century (Milano, Pinacoteca di
Brera, 2012) gave important new ideas about the
alchemical meanings of some pictures of the SolaBusca Tarot.
Alexander belonged to the
medieval
series
of
illustrious men: he was one
of the so-called “Nine
worthies”.
PREMISES
Even before the work of Prof. Laura Paola Gnaccolini
(curator of the mentioned catalogue), the close relations
between this mysterious deck and Alchemy had been
shown, already, in 1995 by Prof. Sofia Di Vincenzo, in
his book “Antichi Tarocchi illuminati. L’Alchimia nei
Tarocchi Sola-Busca” (Ancient Illuminated Tarot.
Alchemy in Tarot Sola-Busca (Turin, 1995; with preface
by Giordano Berti), published in english by US Games
Systems (Stamford, 1998).
The Macedonian King had
already been deified in
ancient times and he was
depicted
as
travelling
through the sky on a wagon
hauled by Griffins.
In the catalogue of Brera, the work of Sofia Di Vincenzo
is quoted only in the bibliography. In fact, this work has
decidedly esoteric characteristics (though based on the
Jungian typing psychology), while the work done by
Prof. Gnaccolini, on the other hand, has a more strictly
philological approach.
This legend had a great success in the Middle Ages,
especially in aristocratic environments.
However, there is a medieval text which is even more
interesting: the “Secretum Secretorum”, an exchange of
letters between the philosopher Aristotle and his pupil
Alexander the Great on astrology, dietetics, Alchemy and
other topics aimed at the management of power. Reading
the “Secretum” we learn that the philosopher introduced
the student to the mysteries of alchemical knowledge.
However, we can consider Di Vincenzo’s book as the
first step of a process similar to the interpretation of the
Marseilles Tarot started in the late XVIII century with
Court De Gebelin and Etteilla. In the event it took
almost 140 years to define the modern significations of
the Marseilles Tarot.
This news, although it is a medieval legend, throws an
illuminating light on the link between the leader and the
obscure iconography of the Sola-Busca Tarot that recurs
in the suit of coins.
So, because the Sola-Busca Tarot was hidden for 500
years, we can consider its study as actually starting with
the work of Sofia Di Vincenzo. She was the first Author
to examine the details of the 78 allegories.
Nevertheless, any interpretation can be improved, as
has happened to the works by Court De Gebelin and
Etteilla. In all possibility and likelihood some new
scholar could give a new interpretation, in the future,
even more exhaustive and coherent that than given by
Sofia Di Vincenzo.
We are still waiting for such a study, so in the interim I
will give here some of the considerations offered by
Prof. Gnaccolini and, below these, I will present in
graphical format a few results of my own personal
research.
:
AMONE
(Knight of Swords)
OLINPIA
(Queen of Swords)
NATANABO
(Knight of Cups)
Here are the characters linked to the history of
Alexander the Great, and AMONE (Knight of swords),
refers to Zeus Ammon, the mythical father of Alexander
according to the Oracle of Siwah oasis.
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OLINPIA (Queen of Swords) was the mother
of Alexander, Olympias, the “dreaded snake
Lady”.
NATANABO (Knight of Cups) was the
magician teacher of Alexander, along with
Aristotle.
It is worth mentioning that, in antiquity,
Alexander the Great was hailed as a new
Sun, ancient alchemical symbol of gold, the
most perfect of metals, associated with the
“Lapis Philosophorum”.
Another alchemical figure, explained years
ago by Sophia Di Vincenzo and resumed
briefly by Laura Paola Gnaccolini, is the
Trump XVI – OLIVO, illustrating the “Triumph
of the Sun” (shown at the top right of the
card). In the lower right corner there is a
basilisk, a mythical entity with the rooster
body and tail of a serpent; in this respect, the
Prof. Gnaccolini notes that in a treatise of the
12th century the German monk Theophilus
indicated the basilisk as being an
indispensable ingredient (once reduced to
powder) to arrive at the “Gold of the
Philosophers”.
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ALCHEMICAL ICONOGRAPHY AND THE SOLA-BUSCA TAROT by Giordano Berti
Because, very often, the images speak more eloquently than words, I propose here to give some results of my
personal research: a comparative view of the similarities which exist between certain alchemical allegories and
figures of the Sola-Busca Tarot.
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The Sola-Busca and the Waite-Smith Tarots
In 1907 the Busca-Serbelloni family sent to the British Museum black and white photographs of the complete
Sola-Busca Tarot deck. Soon afterwards these photographs were placed on exhibit at the British Museum in
London, displayed next to the 23 original engravings acquired by the Museum in 1845.
Probably, on that occasion, Arthur Edward Waite saw the Sola Busca Tarot and from it took inspiration for
certain design features of his own deck of Tarot cards which he had been planning for some time.
It is likely that Waite invited Pamela Colman Smith to see the Sola-Busca cards at the British Museum,
because he would not personally have been able to draw them. Pamela Colman Smith was part of the
“Independent Rite” established by Waite after the disintegration of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,
and was the artist chosen by himself to help create his Tarot deck. This deck was then titled the “Rider-Waite
Tarot”, and was published by Rider (London, 1909). It is now sometimes called the Waite-Smith Tarot.
See below the similarities between cards of the Sola-Busca (on the left) and the Rider-Waite (on the right).
Sola-Busca Tarot (left) (1491, reprint by Wolfgang Mayer in 1998)
Analogies between the 3 of Swords
Rider-Waite Tarot (right) (1909)
Analogies between the 10 of Swords & 10 of Wands
Analogies between the Queen of Cups
Analogies between the 7 of Swords
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Stuart Kaplan in his “Encyclopedia of Tarot” vol.III (1990), suggests that other cards of the Rider-Waite-Smith
were also derived from the Sola-Busca Tarot. As we can see, Pamela Colman Smith in many cases had to
make extensive rearrangements to adapt ancient images to meanings predetermined by Arthur Edward Waite.
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The Sola-Busca Tarot cards
in the British Library
In 1876 William Hughes Willshire,
curator of the collection of prints and
drawings at the British Museum,
published “A Descriptive Catalogue
of Playing and Other Cards in the
British Museum”. In this work
Willshire describes the 23 cards of
the Sola-Busca Tarot acquired by
the Museum in 1845. These cards
had a very important role in the
development of modern Tarot
esotericism.
In 1907 the Busca-Serbelloni family
donated black and white photographs
of all 78 cards to the British Museum,
and shortly thereafter the photographs
were placed on exhibit at the
Museum. Probably on that occasion
Arthur Edward Waite saw the Sola
Busca Tarot and found inspiration for
some of the cards of his own planned
deck of Tarot cards.
About 25 years later, another
scholar, Arthur Mayger Hind, in his
“Early Italian engravings” (London
1935) made the first hypothesis
about the origin of the deck and its
author. Following Cicognara, Hind
suggested that the Sola-Busca Tarot
may be dated from the inscription
“ANNO AB URBE CONDITA MLXX”
on Trump XIIII of the illuminated
version. Because other cards refer
to Venice, the year of production
(MLXX = 1070) of the deck must
point to the year of foundation of
Venice,
traditionally indicated in
421. This means that the SolaBusca Tarot was almost certainly
produced in 1491.
Hind also found, in various
European museums, other SolaBusca engraved versions and gave
his hypothesis about the likely
authorship of these cards. Perhaps
he also had the opportunity to study
the 78 cards owned by the SolaBusca family, the only existing in
colour version, painted by hand a
few years after the printing of the
deck. Hind suggested that the
Monogram M.S. on some cards
could be a reference to Mattia
Serrati
from
Cosandola,
a
miniaturist operating around Ferrara
in the early 16th century.
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The Sola-Busca Tarocchi deck (1491) - The earliest existent complete deck of 78 cards with a 22+4x14-structure.
The cards show Roman heroes, with inscriptions and numbers using the old Roman system. However, the Matto card
(top row centre below) has an Arabic "0". It is not possible to date the inception of numbering on tarot cards precisely,
and the Sola-Busca may be the oldest deck to include numbers. The 15th century was a transition point where the
Roman numeration system was superseded by the use of Arabic numbers, so the Arabic "0" is noteworthy.
Giordano Berti can supply copies of the Mayer reprint of the Sola-Busca Tarot Deck, from which the images
which you can see here are selected.
See: www.solabuscatarot1998mayer.wordpress.com
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