The Servant (from the Tarocchi, series E: Conditions of Man, #2)

1467

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

The Servant (from the Tarocchi, series E: Conditions of Man, #2) 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

The painting shows a young man standing in profile, holding a vessel. He's dressed elegantly, with nice clothes and a hat. This image is part of a series that shows different social classes, from low to high. The series has ten characters, each with a specific role. The artist made these images to show how people were ranked in society back then. It's interesting to see how the artist chose to depict each character. You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of the artist: Master of the E-Series Tarocchi (Italian, active 1400s).

The story of this work

Overview

This engraving is part of the Tarocchi group marked with the letter “E,” and named Conditions of Man . This series outlines the social and hierarchical order of ten characters (Beggar, Servant, Artisan, Merchant, Gentleman, Knight, Doge King, Emperor, and Pope), starting from the lower grade and ending with the most important one. Here, Fameio (The Servant) is shown as a full-length male figure, standing in profile to the left. The elegantly dressed youth holds up a vessel and a piece of cloth.

Read the full account in the museum source.