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This deck does not come with a booklet of any kind. There is only a title card which includes the phrase (in
Italian) ‘prints from copper plates, late 18th century.’ I am curious if these cards were originally part
of a larger deck or if they were created as a Trump-only deck.
The images are very nice whatever their source. They remind me of alchemical engravings or images that might accompany
old storybooks. Il Bagatto apparently depicts a merchant who is showing his box of wares to a customer.
It is not actually clear which figure is Il Bagatto; perhaps the smaller figure is the merchant’s assistant
holding the box for him, and the larger man is demonstrating his figurines - one of which is the person of Death.
The Trump Gli Amanti appears to depict Leda and the Swan. The myth tells the story of how Zeus took the
form of a swan in order to secretly woo the maiden. The image for Il Carro is most likely Apollo since he
is shown with the sun behind him. The figure in the Chariot is interesting because he is pointing to the sky with
his left hand, and pointing to the earth with his right - a gesture used often on modern images of the first Trump.
The figures below appear at first glance to be holding up the cloud which the Chariot rides upon, but they are
actually holding up branches with leaves, perhaps as a sign of worship. The kneeling figure before the swan also
seems to be in a state of adoration.
The image on La Torre probably depicts the myth of Hero & Leander. Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite,
and lived in a tower on one side of the river Hellespont. Her lover Leander lived on the other side, so would swim
every night across the channel, guided by a lamp in Hero’s tower. One night the sea became rough, blew out the
tower’s beacon light, and Leander drowned in the river. When she saw his body wash up onto the shore; Hero threw
herself from the window into the sea below. This Trump has several details that match this myth, including a tower
on a sea shore, a storm overhead, and a figure watching from the tower’s window.
There are several unusual scenes in this deck that would be challenging to identify. I suspect that they all depict
scenes which were easily recognized by average folks 200 years ago! This deck can usually be found at Alida.
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