Jupiter (from the Tarocchi, series A: Firmaments of the Universe, #46)

1467

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory Ferrara

Dominant colour

Jupiter (from the Tarocchi, series A: Firmaments of the Universe, #46) is a 1467 by Master of the E-Series Tarocchi, a Renaissance work, depicting Ferrara, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Master of the E-Series Tarocchi
When & what style?: 1467 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a crowned man sitting sideways on a throne, holding a scepter and a scroll. He’s labeled “Iupiter,” the Roman name for Jupiter, king of the gods. This print is one of the earliest tarot-like cards we know—made before tarot decks even existed. The artist grouped Jupiter with other planets and heavenly layers to show how people in 1400s Italy pictured the universe. The lines are crisp, like a woodcut, but no one knows exactly how it was made. To see more of these early cosmic cards, look up the subject: italy, ferrara, 15th century.

The story of this work

Overview

This engraving is part of the Tarocchi group marked with the letter “A”, and named Firmaments of the Universe . This series comprises the seven planets from the classical astronomy (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and the three celestial spheres that separate them from the Supreme Entity ( Prima Causa ) from which everything was originated. Here, Iupiter (Jupiter) is personified as a full-length crowned male figure, turned to left. He is seated on a double rainbow and framed by a mandorla with an eagle at the top and a child at the bottom. Dead soldiers appear in the…