Introduction

 Last modified July 26, 2024

Franco Pratesi has an impressive list of publications on the history of the tarot and playing cards generally that goes back to 1986, both in print publications and on various websites, including his own at http://www.naibi.net/. However, many of the most important, especially in the last ten years or so, are in Italian only. In an effort to make his research more widely available, I have been translating selected essays and notes into English, starting with Google Translate and then correcting it by my understanding of Italian grammar and reference to online dictionaries for the word that fits the context best. Even then, I have routinely been going to Franco himself for advice on certain passages, especially in translating old documents, the proportion of which increased dramatically in 2023 and after. I have tried to make the English conform as closely as possible to the original Italian, sometimes resulting in awkward transitions in English but which in the development of ideas follow the Italian.  For safety's sake, any quotations by others of my translations should probably include the original Italian, since I do not guarantee the accuracy of my admittedly amateur work (or the combination of two amateurs).

At the right of this introduction on the web-page is a list of months and years. These are mostly when I posted a particular essay. The essays themselves, with only a few exceptions, are arranged in the order in which Franco published them on the internet, going down from later to earlier. So for essays dated earlier than those in a given month (when I posted the translation), it is necessary to click on an earlier month, until the desired note is found - or else use the link in this introduction, where I have listed the notes or essays by subject-matter, the subjects arranged more or less by when Franco addressed these subjects, earlier below later.

For the list on the right in this blog, there are two main exceptions to my rule of listing them chronologically in order of publication. One is a series of articles by Franco originally published in Italian in the The Playing-Card, the journal of the International Playing Card Society. They are mostly about 18th century books on how to play minchiate, the game with the expanded tarot deck of 97 cards. When I resumed translating his work in 2023 (after he paused his research in 2017), I didn't notice them and didn't leave space for them in the series. So they are all together in my postings for June of 2024, along with what seems to have been the last one in that series, a note first published on naibi.net on a book in German containing a chapter on minchiate.

The other main exception is a series of four notes on 18th century Milanese tarocchi. Franco posted his originals in July-August 2023, but I didn't translate them until July of 2024. I left them for last because they seemed to involve the most technical terms and would be the hardest to translate.

Otherwise, a couple of essays in April (posted in May) are out of order.

I have written introductions to each translation, in most cases rather short. In some of the blog-posts, after the translation and in the same post, I have put my own reflections on Franco's note or thoughts relating to the same theme. I also have comments in square brackets within the note itself, for clarification, after first consulting with Franco. Both the translation and my comments originally appeared on Tarot History Forum, then pasted onto the blog for a more orderly arrangement, as they are scattered in various threads there. Some received discussion by Forum participants. In those cases, I have given a link to the Forum post.

To get to a particular translation in this blog, click on either the title in English, if underlined, or the link after the title. You will notice that the link title sometimes suggests something other than the essay in question. That is because, forgetting how Google blogs work, I had to occasionally move essays around to keep them in order, and Google doesn't change the link to fit the new title.

• Historical (18th-early 19th century) books or booklets on how to play Minchiate (10 entries).
  

May 6, 2024: 1756 Vienna, and Nuremberg - the game of minchiate. Original is 1756 Vienna, e Norimberga – Il gioco delle minchiate (06.05.2024). This is a translation of Franco's discussion and translation into Italian of the chapter on minchiate in a book published in German in Vienna and Nuremberg of 1756, making it the earliest known describing the 18th century game.

 

June 1, 2024 - autograph note of Paul Minucci. The original is Minchiate – Nota autografa di Paolo Minucci (01.06.2024). Minucci's note is the earliest presentation known of the game of minchiate, dating back to 1688. Franco transcribes the author's own handwritten draft and places it alongside the printed version.  

 

March 14, 2024: Minchiate - A handwritten copy of Paolo Minucci's note. Original at Minchiate – Una copia manoscritta della nota di Paolo Minucci (14.03.2024). This is an anonymous manuscript copy of Minucci's note on minchiate, the earliest known writing on how to play the game, placed alongside the printed version.

Aug. 20, 2023: Fourteen minchiate cards of the 1700s. Originally Quattordici minchiate del Settecento (20.08.2023). This is a discussion of fourteen cards that came with the book discussed in the entry immediately below, twelve from the same deck, with the stamp and signature of the tax stamp manager 1750-1780 on one of them.

 

 "General Rules on the Game of Minchiate" (The Playing-Card 52:2, Oct.-Dec. 2023), at http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/06/oct-dec-2023-general-rules-on-game-of.html. The original, Regole Generali sopra il Gioco delle Minchiate," is at https://www.naibi.net/A/REGMINC.pdf. The same essay not in journal format is at https://www.naibi.net/A/REGMIN.pdf, posted Aug. 10, 2023.

 "1747 book on minchiate and other games" (The Playing-Card 49:2 (Oct.-Dec. 2020)), at http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/06/oct-dec-2020-1746-book-on-minchiate-and.html. Originally "Libro del 1747 sulle minchiate, e altri giochi," at https://www.naibi.net/A/86.pdf. http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/06/jan-march-2019-comments-on-regole-delle.html.

 

"The Regoli Generali in Florence" (The Playing-Card 49:1 (July-Sept. 2020)), at http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/06/july-sept-2020-regoli-generali-in.html. The original, "Minchiate, le Regole Generali di Firenze," is at https://www.naibi.net/A/85.pdf.

 

 "Minchiate, the General Rules of Rome and Macerata" (The Playing-Card 48:3 (Jan.-March 2020)), at http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/06/jan-march-2020-minchiate-general-rules.html. The original is "Minchiate, Le Regole Generali di Roma e Macerata," at https://www.naibi.net/A/84.pdf.

 

 "Comments on the Regole delle Minchiatta" (The Playing-Card 47:3 (Jan.-March 2019)), at http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/06/jan-march-2019-comments-on-regole-delle.html. The original, 

"Commenti sul Regole delle Minchiatta,"is at https://www.naibi.net/A/81.pdf. 

 

 "The Capitolo delle Minchiate (Chapter on Minchiate," The Playing-Card 47:2 (Oct.-Dec. 2018), at http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/06/oct-dec-2018-capitolo-delle-minchiate.html. The original, "Il Capitolo delle Minchiate," is on naibi.net at https://www.naibi.net/A/80-CARDS.pdf

• Information from inventory and other account records in Tuscany (9 entries)
  

 "Florence 1736-1737. Accounts in the shop of the abbot" (April 2, 2024) at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/05/april-2-2024-florence-736-1737-accounts.html. The original, "Firenze 1736-1737. Conti della bottega dell’abate," is at https://www.naibi.net/A/BOTTEGA.pdf.

"Florence 1478 and 1479: Petrarch's triumphs in private homes" (March 16, 2024, with May 3 addendum), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/03/florence-1472-1474-worn-out-naibi-and.html. The original, "Firenze 1478 e 1479: Trionfi del Petrarca in case private," is at https://naibi.net/A/TRIOPETR.pdf. 

 

 "Naibi for sale and worn-out naibi" (March 13, 2024), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/02/. The original is "Firenze 1420 e 1424. Naibi in vendita e naibi triste," at https://naibi.net/A/NAIBBI.pdf.

 "Florence 1472-1474. Worn-out naibi and triumphs in a bag" (Feb. 23, 2024), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/02/blank_22.html. Franco's original at Firenze 1472-1474. Naibi tristi e trionfi in un sacchetto (23.02.2024).

"Pontormo 1479. Playing cards in a haberdasher's house" (Feb. 22, 2024), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/02/blank_14.html. Original at 8/06. Pontormo 1479. Carte da gioco nella casa di un merciaio (22.02.2024).

"Florence 1426. Naibi in a large family" (Feb. 12, 2024), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/02/blank.html. Original is Firenze 1426. Naibi in una grande famiglia (12.02.2024).

"Florence 1462: Playing Cards in a dry goods Store" (Dec. 2, 2023), https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/florence-1462-playing-cards-in-dry.html. Original is "Firenze 1462: carte da gioco in una merceria" (02.12.2023)  

"Florence - Three account books of the 1400s" (October 18, 2023), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/october-18-2023-florence-three-account.html. Original Firenze – Tre libri di conti del Quattrocento (18.10.2023).

"1499-1506: New information on Florentine cards" (April, 2015) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/april-2015-new-information-on.html. Original is (1499-1506: Firenze - Nuove informazioni sulle carte fiorentine. The Playing-Card, Vol. 44, No. 1 (2015) 61-71)

• Information from the taxation system in Tuscany (6 entries)
  

"Florence 1743-1778: Licenses for games" (Jan. 20, 2024), https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/02/jan-20-2024.html, Franco's original is at Firenze 1743-1778. Le licenze sui giochi (20.01.2024)).

"Florence 1843-1845. Foreign cards and bureaucracy" (Jan. 2, 2024) https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/01/. Original at Firenze 1843-1845. Carte forestiere e burocrazia (02.01.2024).

"Florence 1814: Restoration, also for playing cards" (Jan. 2, 2024), https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/01/jan-2-2024-florence-1814-restoration.html. Original at Firenze 1814: Restaurazione, anche per le carte da gioco (02.01.2024).

"Florence 1766 - Domenico Aldini under investigation (November 21, 2023), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/november-21-2023-florence-1766.html. Franco's original is at Firenze 1766 - Domenico Aldini sotto inchiesta (21.11.2023) .

"Reform of the stamp duty on cards (October 31, 2023), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/october-31-2023-reform-of-bolo-on-cards.html. Franco's original is at Firenze 1781: riforma del bollo sulle carte (31.10.2023).

"Cortona 1767-1781 - Playing Cards in Customs" (October 25, 2023), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/october-25-2023-cortona-1767-1781.html. Franco's original is Cortona 1767-1781 – Carte da gioco in Dogana (25.10.2023). 

• Information from academies, literati, entertainers, poets, educators (15 entries) 
  

June 10, 2024: 1712 - The games of Lorenzo Stecchi. Original: 1712 - I giochi di Lorenzo Stecchi (10.06.2024). A book of card tricks: table of contents and examples of the tricks described.

 

June 8, 2024 - Games of cards, bussolotti, and more. Original: Giuochi di Carte, Bussolotti, e altro (08.06.2024). A book of card tricks: table of contents and examples of the tricks described.

 

June 6, 2024 - white magic, card games. Original: La Magia bianca – Giochi di carte (06.06.2024).

A book of card tricks: table of contents and examples of the tricks described.

 

May 17, 2024: a jealous husband. Original: Firenze 1713 - Un marito geloso (17.05.2024). A young gentleman's attentions to a lady playing cards gets challenged by the husband. What would have earlier led to a duel gets adjudicated by an expert on the laws of chivalry.

 

May 3, 2024: Florence in the 1700s. Octaves on Bassetta.  Original Firenze nel Settecento – Ottave sulla bassetta (03.05.2024). A poem in eight-line stanzas on the evils of the gambling game.

 

May 1, 2024: 1748 - Incomplete minchiate of an Arcadian shepherd. Original 1748 – Minchiate incomplete di un pastore arcade (01.05.2024). The Arcadia here is an academy in Florence, and its shepherd has designed a deck of minchiate with historical information on the cards, to be read each time the card is played, thus imprinting the information in the memory of the players.

 

"Florence 1783. The mystery of the Devil" (April 20, 2024), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/05/april-20-2024-florence-1783-mystery-of.html. Originally "Firenze 1783 ‒ Il giallo del Diavolo," at https://www.naibi.net/A/BACCANO.pdf. The Devil card of Florentine minchiate speaks - in invitations to a social event.

 

"Florence in the 17th century - Octaves on the Game of Ombre" (April 17, 2024). Originally
Firenze nel Seicento ‒ Ottave sul Gioco dell’Ombre (17.04.2024) A poem in eight-line stanzas recounting a friendly game of Ombre among five ladies, with young gentlemen attending.

 

"Minchiate, a field too vast for the Academy" (April 13, 2024), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/05/april-13-2024-minchiate-field-too-vast.html. Originally "Minchiate, un campo troppo vasto per l’Accademia," https://www.naibi.net/A/RICCI.pdf.

 

"Playing cards defended in academy and church" (April 4, 2024), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/05/april-4-2024-playing-cards-defended-in.html, originally "Carte da gioco difese in accademia e in chiesa," at https://www.naibi.net/A/ELOGIO.pdf. 

 

"Florence in the eighteenth century - Card games at the Theatre of the Pergola" (April 3, 2024). Original at

 8/13. Firenze nel Settecento - Giochi di carte al Teatro della Pergola (03.04.2024).

March 27, 2024: Florence ca. 1720. Minchiate and knights without cavalry. Original Firenze circa 1720. Minchiate e cavalieri senza cavalleria (27.03.2024).

"1700s in Florence: Conversations in the Casino of St. Trinita" (Dec. 2, 2023), https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/1700s-in-florence-conversations-in.html. Original at Settecento a Firenze: Conversazione del Casino di Santa Trinita (02.12.2023). The  "conversations" here are any social interactions in a setting reserved for gentlemen and gentlewomen, including card games with cards supplied by the house.

"Games played with tarocchi in the 1600s" (Oct. 16, 2023) at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/october-16-2023-games-played-with.html. Original in Italian at Giuochi che si fanno con le carte ‒ nel Seicento (16.10.2023) .

 "More Lombard editions from Court de Gébelin" (Aug. 3, 2023), https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/09/v-behaviorurldefaultvml-o_15.html. Franco's original in Italian is at Più edizioni lombarde da Court de Gébelin (03.08.2023).

"Ideas of an Egyptian - Cremona 1795" (July 5, 2023),https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/07/. Franco's original in Italian is at Idee di un egiziano. Cremona 1795 (05.07.2023). Court de Gebelin's ideas summarized in a publication in Cremona.

 "Pocket atlas and minchiate from 1780" (The Playing-Card 47:4 (April-June 2019)), at http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2024/06/april-june-2019-pocket-atlas-and.html. The original, "Atlante tascabile e minchiate del 1780," is at https://www.naibi.net/A/83-atlante-02.pdf.

• Historical (18th-early 19th century) booklets or book chapters on how to play tarocchi in Lombardy (4 entries)

Aug. 18, 2023: Instructions for the Milanese game of tarocchi (1793-1827). Original: Istruzioni per il gioco milanese di tarocchi (1793-1827) (18.08.2023). Comparison of the 1793 book with the next one seen with similar contents, from 1827.

 July 11, 2023: The game of tarocchi - Milan 1789 and 1792. Original:  Il Giuoco de’ tarocchi ‒ Milano 1789 e 1792 (11.07.2023). Quotations in the 1793 book from an earlier book of 1789 reprinted 1792, with the 1793 author's comments, usually contemptuous.

 July 10, 2023: For one who plays tarocchi - Milan 1793. Original: Per chi tarocca ‒ Milano 1793 (10.07.2023). Table of contents and extensive quotation and summary of contents, one part on strategy quite different from the 1794 and 1811.

July 1, 2023: Milan 1794: an unknown book on tarocchi. Original: Milano 1794: uno sconosciuto libro sui tarocchi  (01.07.2023). Table of contents and sample passages from the text, compared with an 1811 version that is seen to be similar, despite not appearing so at the outset. Mostly concerns penalties for fouls.

• Information from laws and criminal records in Tuscany (6 entries)
  

"1426-1440 Florence: Convictions for card games in the Books of the Lily" (Nov. 26, 2016)  http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/nov-26-2016-1426-1440-florence.html (1426-1440: Firenze - Condanne per giochi di carte nei Libri del Giglio. (26.11.2016))

 "1377: Florence: sentenced as players of naibi" (Jan-March 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/blank_62.html (1377: Firenze - Condanne ai giocatori di naibi." The Playing-Card , Vol. 44, No. 3 (2016), 156-163.)  

"1514: Florence: Law on games" (synopsis) (Nov. 21, 2015) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/nov-21-2015-1514-florence-law-on-games.html (11514: Firenze - Legge sui giochi. (21.11.2015))

"1450, 1473, 1477: Florence: Laws on games" (Nov. 7, 2015) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/nov-7-2015-1450-1472-1477-florence-laws.html (1450, 1473, 1477: Firenze - Leggi sui giochi. (07.11.2015)

"1451: Siena - New law on games" (Oct. 31, 2015) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/essay-2.html (1451: Siena - Nuova legge sui giochi. (31.10.2015))

 "1440-1450: Florence - Convictions for card games in the Books of the Lily" (Oct. 12, 2015) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/oct-12-2015-1440-1450-florence.html. (Original at 1440-1450: Firenze - Condanne per giochi di carte nei Libri del Giglio. (12.10.2015))

• Playing card documentation outside Tuscany (7 entries) 

"Cards and Tarocchi at the end of the 1700s in Sardinia" (Sept. 17, 2023), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/october-16-2023-cards-and-tarocchi-at.html. Originally "Carte e tarocchi alla fine del Settecento in Sardegna," at https://www.naibi.net/A/SARDCAT.pdf.

"Brescia 1786 - almanac on the tarot" (Aug. 20, 2023), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/09/1.html. Franco's original is at Brescia 1786 – Almanacco sul tarocco (20.08.2023).

"Cards and Tarocchi in Sassari, beginning of the 19th century" (Aug. 2, 2023), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/09/v-behaviorurldefaultvml-o.html. Originally "Carte e tarocchi a Sassari all’inizio dell’Ottocento," at https://www.naibi.net/A/TASASSA.pdf

 

 "1501-1521: cards from Perugia and nearby cities" (Jan. 5, 2017) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2017/02/jan-5-2017-1501-1521-cards-from-perugia.html (1501-1521: Carte da Perugia e città vicine. (05.01.2017))

"The 3rd Rosenwald Sheet" (June 27, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/june-27-2016-3rd-rosenwald-sheet.html (Il terzo foglio Rosenwald. (27.06.2016))

"Assisi c. 1510: Complete deck of 48 cards" (Dec. 22, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/dec-22-2016-assisi-c-1510-complete-deck.html (1510 ca: Assisi - Mazzo completo di 48 carte. (21.12.2016))

 "1477 Bologna: Arithmetic for cards and triumphs" (June 9, 2014) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/blank.html (Carte da gioco a Firenze: il primo secolo (1377-1477). The Playing-Card , 19 No. 1 (1990) 7-17.))

• Triumphs and the minor arts (5 entries)
  

 "Siena 1438: From Angels to Love" (Dec. 7, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/dec-7-2015-siena-1438-from-angels-to.html  (1438: Siena - Dagli Angeli all'Amore. (07.12.2016))

"ca 1450: Triumphs and Triumphi" [i.e. in illuminated manuscripts], (Oct. 15, 2016)  http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/oct-15-2016-triumphs-and-triumphi.html (1450ca: Trionfi e Triumphi. (15.10.2016))

"ca 1450: Triumphs and Civic Processions" (Oct. 11, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/nov-10-2016-ca-1450-civic-processions.html (1450ca: Firenze - Trionfi e cortei cittadini. (10.11.2016))

 "ca 1450: Triumphs and marriage chests," (Aug. 31, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/aug-31-2016-triumphs-and-marriage-chests.html (1450ca: Firenze - Trionfi e cassoni nuziali. (31.08.2016))

"ca 1450: Triumphs and birthtrays," (May 13, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/may-13-21016-ca-1450-florence-triumphs.html (1450ca: Firenze - Trionfi e deschi da parto. (13.05.2016))

• Earliest playing cards in Europe, by place (9 entries)

"Playing Cards in Europe Before 1377? Holland" (Jan. 18, 2017 and March 9, 2017) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2017/02/jan-18-2017-playing-cards-in-europe.html (Carte da gioco in Europa prima del 1377 ? Olanda. (18.01.2017) and Carte da gioco in Europa prima del 1377 ? Olanda. Addendum. (09.03.2017))

"Playing Cards in Europe Before 1377? Aragon" (June 21, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/translators-introduction-by-michael-s_6.html (Carte da gioco in Europa prima del 1377 ? Aragona. (21.06.2016))

 "Playing Cards in Europe Before 1377? Buja" (June 15, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/translators-introduction-by-michael-s.html (Carte da gioco in Europa prima del 1377 ? Buja. (15.06.2016))

"Playing Cards in Europe Before 1377? Bohemia" (June 7, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/june-7-2016-before-1377-bohemia.html (Carte da gioco in Europa prima del 1377 ? Boemia. (07.06.2016))

"Playing Cards in Europe Before 1377? Poland" (June 2, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/june-2-2016-before-1377-poland.html (Carte da gioco in Europa prima del 1377 ? Polonia. (02.06.2016)

 "Playing Cards in Europe Before 1377? Italy" (May 5, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/feb-8-2015-comments-on-islamic-cards.html (Carte da gioco in Europa prima del 1377 ? Italia. (05.05.2016))

"Various cards at Basel in 1377 or 1429" (April 26, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/april-26-2016-various-cards-at-basel-in.html (Carte varie a Basilea nel 1377 o nel 1429. (26.04.2016))

"Playing Cards in Europe Before 1377? Berne" (April 26, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/sept-24-2016-before-1377-berne.html (Carte varie a Basilea nel 1377 o nel 1429. (26.04.2016))

  "Comments on Islamic cards" (Feb. 8, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/feb-8-2015-comments-on-islamic-cards.html (Commenti sulle carte islamiche. (08.02.2016)

• General reflections, mostly on trionfi (5 entries)

"Minchiate, Reflections on Design" (Dec. 2, 2023), at https://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2023/12/december-12-2023-minchiate-reflections.html. Franco's original is at Minchiate. Riflessioni sul design (02.12.2023).

 "Imaginary origins of triumphs and minchiate" (Nov. 19, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/nov-12-2016-imaginary-origins-of.html (Genesi favolosa di trionfi e minchiate. (19.11.2016)   

"Earliest Triumphs: Contrasting Proposals and Outlooks" (Oct. 4, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/11/oct-4-2016-earliest-triumphs_7.html (Primi trionfi, proposte contrastanti e prospettive. (04.10.2016))

 "Milanese and Florentine Triumphs" (Feb. 12, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/blank_22.html (Trionfi milanesi e fiorentini - ipotesi e commenti. (12.02.2016))

"Cremona 1441? Ruminations on the Visconti-Madrone" (Jan. 17, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/jan-17-2016-ruminations-on-visconti-di.html (Cremona 1441? - Elucubrazioni sui tarocchi Visconti di Modrone o Cary-Yale. (17.01.2016))

 "Other comments on the triumphs" (Jan. 11, 2016) http://pratesitranslations.blogspot.com/2016/02/jan-11-2015-other-comments-qabout.html (Altri commenti sui trionfi. (11.01.2016))

A complete list of Franco's essays on playing cards, with links to their texts in their original language, is at http://naibi.net/p/index.html. Those originally published at trionfi.com, all but one originally in English, appear online at that site. All of the pages at trionfi.com can be read in other languages via Google Translate, by entering the page's url into Google Translate's slot for websites and then clicking on "translate this page." The result is usually adequate English, except for quotations from historic texts; and remember that the slang term for bull manure, when it appears in a translation, is Google's idea of what minchiate means; of course here it invariably means the Tuscan card game and deck. To use Google Translate for the essays on Franco's own site, it is necessary to download them to your computer and then have Google translate them as a "document" rather than a "website."

Aug. 18, 2023: Instructions for the Milanese game of tarocchi (1793-1827)

This series of four notes on 18th century Lombard publications on the game of tarocchi ends with a translation of "Istruzioni per il gioco milanese di tarocchi (1793-1827)," posted at https://www.naibi.net/A/MILA1827.pdf on August 18, 2023. At this point, too, the translation of Franco's notes on naibi.net starting July of 2023 to the present, and in another thread his Playing-Card articles in Italian since 2018, seems complete, unless I have missed something. That would be 48 notes and 8 articles. There will be more, including a forthcoming Playing-Card article.

The note below sums up the preceding work and connects it with another work, this one of 1826-27 (in two editions), all with similar contents. At the end, Franco suggests room for further research, namely in regard to a Viennese work in German describing the Lombard game as early as 1756. For that, we already have Dummett 1980 and Dummett and McLeod 2005; but they presented only the basic rules. Perhaps there is more. As time permits, I will add this part of Game of Tarot to what I have already posted from the chapter on the Lombard and Piedmont games, at viewtopic.php?p=26558#p26558, and then a short comment here that I have done so. Added July 20: see viewtopic.php?p=26566#p26566 for a transcription of Dummett's account of the Viennese text.

As usual, the comments in brackets are mine, in consultation with Franco.


Instructions for the Milanese game of tarocchi (1793-1827)

Franco Pratesi

1. Introduction

There have been several attempts to reconstruct the bibliography of the game of tarot in Milan in the 19th century. The first important result is obtained from the Bibliografia of Alfredo Lensi [note 1], which is not limited to this sector but in the related part remains an indispensable source. Using this and numerous Italian books preserved in the Bodleian, Michael Dummett managed to establish [note 2] that descriptions of the Milanese game of tarocchi had been published on numerous occasions, especially in manuals dedicated to teaching the main "conversation" [society] games, but which in effect reproduced always a single text, the same one that dealt almost exclusively with the penalties to be inflicted on players who did not respect the rules. However, Thierry Depaulis later pointed out that at least four texts of the same type had been published in Milan already at the end of the eighteenth century and had not yet been studied. [note 3]

In recent months I have taken up that challenge, also because I happened to resolve the same question in the case of the game of Italian checkers, again with a book published in Milan. Also in that case, numerous re-editions of the same text on the game had been reported, but only the first book was dedicated exclusively to the game of checkers, and above all, it was written by the author himself. [note 4] I therefore hoped to find also for the tarocchi such a first book.

Research is made particularly difficult by the rarity of the editions. They are typically small brochures or booklets with just a few pages, often even produced in the form of almanacs in which, in addition to the section on tarot cards, calendars and information of local interest are found. As a result, single copies of these publications are found to be preserved, or very few, or not even one at all.

The case that I am reviewing here is different from the usual, because it advanced in the opposite direction. First, I found the original text [of 1793] written in the first person in an almanac, and only later a Milanese re-edition 24 years later. [note 5] Here I add a subsequent edition and summarize and complete what I found in the previous cases.


2. For those who play tarocco. Almanac for the year 1794 [Per chi tarocca. Almanacco per l’anno 1794]

This appears as the original edition. The author writes in the first person and moves within the environment of Milanese almanacs.

For those who play tarocco. Critical-instructive almanac for the year 1794. Which contains not only the penalties corresponding to the fouls that can be committed in the game of tarot cards, but also many general and particular rules, warnings, and instructions necessary to know from whoever likes to play it well. In Milan: from the printer Luigi Veladini in the new district. 108 pp.; 12o. [note 1]

A notable part of the text consists of a specific criticism of what had been published on the game of tarocchi in Milan in the previous year - reprinting an edition from a few years earlier - always and only in the form of almanacs published for the following year. I do not repeat here what was described in the previous study. It can already be concluded that, precisely following its origin, for this writing on tarocchi we cannot see the possibility of the existence of a previous edition, either within or outside the scope of almanacs.
____________________
1. A. Lensi, Bibliografia Italiana dei giuochi di carte. Ravenna 1985.
2. M. Dummett, The Game of Tarot. London 1980.
3. Th. Depaulis, The Playing-Card. Vol. 38, N.1 (2009) pp. 9-13.
4. http://www.naibi.net/c/DAMA1799.pdf
5. http://www.naibi.net/A/MILA1793.pdf

2
I had reported three preserved copies of this almanac: one in the Trivulziana Library, one already (and perhaps still?) in the Stuart Kaplan Collection, one in the Bodleian Library, which, however, is only a bound copy of the previous one. Now I am able to add a fourth example in Pavia, not yet present in the digitized catalogues. [note 6]


3. The Player of tarocchi [II Giuocatore de’ Tarocchi], 1817]

As usual, it can be introduced using the Lensi Bibliografia.

38. Player (The) of tarocchi, which gives the rules with which not only are the penalties fixed corresponding to the fouls that can be committed in this game, but also many other general and particular ones; warnings and instructions necessary to know by those who like to play it well. Milan : Francesco Pulini, 1817. In -16, pp. 84, 32, 3 nn. In the first part, he gives the rules of tarocchi and tarocc'ombre, in the second of domino and cucù. [note 1]

This is not an almanac with a calendar, but a Milanese book dedicated to the game of tarocchi and a few others. Despite the usual small size, it would appear to be a booklet of a less ephemeral nature than almanacs; yet, I have only tracked down one specimen. [note 7]

Michael Dummett had found the reference to this edition and cites it in his fundamental book; [note 8] however, he thought that it contained the same text repeated several times in various game manuals [that he listed]. Instead, this belongs to a very different series, the one that began with the previous edition of 1793 of which, perhaps later, Dummett had a copy in his library.

The player of tarocchi. Vicenza, Civic Library Bertoliana, X.25.I.29, Title page
“Courtesy of the Civic Library Bertoliana of Vicenza”

MILA1827fig1b.png

(307.65 KiB) Not downloaded yet

_______________
6. Biblioteca Universitaria di Pavia, Misc. in 12°. T. 433 n.
7. Vicenza, Biblioteca civica Bertoliana, X.25.I.29.
8. M. Dummett, The Game of Tarot. London 1980, on p. 270.


3
4. The game of tarocchi [Il giuoco del tarocco], 1827

This book could have been the first from which to start the search to go back to the previous editions, if only because here we read on the title page, "Third edition." For me, it was the last in the series. The biggest surprise, however, was that it is not a book, or an almanac, but it is both a book and an almanac, that is, there are two different editions in the two different formats in which we usually find the instructions for the tarot game (and for other games or other topics in vogue at the time).

We can find both editions listed, as usual, in the Bibliografia of Alfredo Lensi.

58. Game (The) of tarocchi, i.e. general and particular rules for playing it well. Critical-instructive Almanac for the year 1827. Milan, Omobono Manini, s.a. (1826), in -16, pp. 4 nn., 120, 12 and engr.
In the preface, it is said that this is a corrected and augmented reprint of older editions. It gives the rules of tarocchi, contains tables to record the losses and winnings of each day and finally has a calendar for the year 1827. [note 1]

I have only identified one example of this almanac in Milan, which is not even complete. [note 9] The Library informed me that the index corresponds to that of the following book, and therefore I will base myself on the second for comparisons with the other editions. Doubt remains whether the printer had published the two editions together or separately. One clue is the dates: the year the book was printed in is 1827, while the almanac for the year 1827 was reasonably printed in 1826, as Lensi also indicates in brackets. Therefore we would conclude that Manini was encouraged by the success of his almanac to present it again without the calendar, so that it could find buyers in subsequent years too.

In several other cases, it was possible to notice how these almanacs were of an ephemeral nature already at the beginning; here we have direct confirmation of this from the printer's intention to continue the initiative with a booklet dedicated to the tarocchi without a calendar or anything else.

59. Game (The) of tarocchi, i.e. general and particular rules for playing it well. Third edition. Milan, Omobono Manini, 1827, in-24, nn., 120, and engravings.
Reprint of the previous edition. [note 1]

As regards the format and preservation, what was written about the 1817 edition can be repeated: not an ephemeral almanac, but a book intended for preservation, which, however, evidently had a limited circulation, because I was able to find ‒ also for this publication ‒ only two specimens in the Internet catalogs, preserved in Pavia and Turin. [note 10].

Thanks to the assistance of Dr. Campagna, responsible for cultural activities at the Pavia library, I can add a couple of useful pieces of information. The publisher states that the first edition was published in Milan in 1794 by Veladini, which confirms what we found above. An interesting detail is that, unlike other cases in these Milanese books, the discussion continues to be compiled in the first person.


5. Comparison of editions

Thanks to Pavia's kind sending of a scan of the index of the 1827 book, I was able to compare the structure of the three successive editions. As a result of the comparison, I can present the following table, which shows the pages of the respective subchapters.
______________
9. Milan, Biblioteca nazionale Braidense, IT\ICCU\MILE\054385.
10. Pavia, Bibllioteca Universitaria, Misc. in 12o. T 148 n. 2; Turin, Biblioteca civica centrale, IT\ICCU\TO0E\132254.

4
[In Franco’s Italian original, the information below is in the form of a table, with the dates in successive columns following the titles. In this translation, the dates are put after the title, with single dashes to indicate that the title is not present in a particular edition. “Ibid,” meaning “the same,” replaces the Italian “ivi.” For more information on some of the terms – invitations, communication cards, discards, etc. see the previous translation of Franco’s note of n. 5.]

__________1793, 1817, 1827
CONTENTS -, 0, -
Explanation of the cards -, 5, -
Fouls in general 13, 6, 19
Of Card fouls Ibid, Ibid, Ibid
Of cutting the cards 18, 11, 27
Degrees of winnings and losses in tarocchi games -, 13, -
Way of dividing, that is, of taking the Partner -, 15, -
Of revokes [rifiuti: failing to follow suit when able] 19, 16, 30
What is meant by covered bazza [the four cards won in a trick] 20, 17, 31
How to correct simple revoke [rifiuto], and what the penalty is, Ibid, Ibid, Ibid
Of the discard 23, 20, 36
Of double-playing [doppione] 25, 22, 39
Of some other fouls, abuses, and clarifications 27, 24, 42
GENERAL RULES -, -, 51
Of the secret 32, 30, Ibid
For those who have to cut 33, 31, 52
For those who have to shuffle the cards 34, 32, 54
Not letting the cards be seen, Ibid, 32, Ibid
What should be discarded Ibid, 32, 55
About the first play 36, 35, 58
Of invitations 37, 35, 59
When you have to play the tarocchi in your hand 39, 37, 62
When you can play tarocchi even when your partner discards 40, 39, 65
Keeping the exposed cards in memory 41, 40, 66
Of counting Tarocchi 42, 41, 68
Of the negative invitation 43, 42, 69
When you have to show your partner a King, or other court card 44, 43, 71
When it is possible to play the Queen rather than the King Ibid, 44, 72
Not taking the communication card away from your partner, and trying to take it away from your opponents 45, 45, 73
When it is possible to play a suit card 46, 46, 75
When to change the [suit] played 47b, 47a, 77
When you should attempt Capotto 47a, 47b, 76
When you have to make your partner lose one or even more court cards 48, 48, 78
When it is possible to play false 49, 49, 80
When one must give the Queen to the partner who plays the King 50, 50, 82
Of making the partner play a tarocco 51, 51, 83
Of counting points 52, 52, 85
Of the Bagatto and the Fool Ibid, 53, 86
Of the Fool 53, -, -
When it is possible to play [tirar] court cards 54, 55, 88
SUMMARY. With the pretext of revoke [rifiuto], one cannot reveal the tricks -, 57, -
Revoke [rifiuto] and doubling-playing [doppione] -, 60, -
Capotto [one partnership winning all the tricks] -, 64, -
Capottone [one player capturing all the tricks] -, 65, -
Tarocc’ombre [tarocchi with bidding] -, 79, -

As you can see, the differences are minimal and easily explainable. For example, only in the first edition are there the two subsequent entries, first “Of the Bagatto and the Fool,” and then “Of the Fool,” but in fact in the first section the Fool appears only in the initial phrase, and the subsequent union of the two sections seems very reasonable. Variations appear in the introductory part about the game, with descriptions that in some cases are explained in greater detail, in others less. There will certainly be small linguistic corrections here and there throughout the text, but I don't expect anything more than just formal ones. Only in the second edition: some points of certain importance are added or summarized at the end; after the standard variant of tarocchi a chapter is added on the "new" one of tarocc’ ombre.


5

[For the image in this space, see the Italian version of this note, p. 5 at https://www.naibi.net/A/MILA1827.pdf.]

Pavia, University Library, Misc. in 12°. T 148 n. 2
“Courtesy of the University Library of Pavia – Ministry of Culture”
with prohibition on further reproduction or duplication by any means

6. Conclusion

Two editions of the same Milanese text on tarocchi, from 1793 and 1817, were examined again, and the third edition of 1827 was added to the discussion here; the comparison of the three editions has shown that it is absolutely the same treatment of the subject. Observing the Milanese literature of the time, and later, on the same subject, the editions examined here occupy a place of their own. In the repeated nineteenth-century reprints of Milanese manuals on "conversation" games, the same text is repeated, which mainly concerns the penalties to be inflicted on those who make mistakes and which is quite different from the corresponding part present in these three editions.

In the three editions examined here, we also find an equally extensive part, of decidedly greater interest, which concerns various pieces of advice and warnings on how best to play the cards. Obviously, this part is precisely the one that is of greatest importance for those who intend to approach the game; in fact, it is the type of instruction that is able to shorten the practice period necessary to master the playing technique. Even from the titles in the table, you can understand the details; in particular, it is pleasing to find in such old texts some conventions on discards for sending signals to your partner, which anticipate by a century those you read in bridge manuals. These are suggestions that are found not only in Milan, but also for other tarocchi games in other cities; in short, it is not strange to read them here; it was strange that they didn't appear at all in Milan.

6
Examining the situation in retrospect, it seems surprising how these three editions represented the exception and not the rule in the literature on the game of tarocchi in Milan. However, it cannot be ruled out that the small number of preserved specimens of these three editions is destined to increase with the opening towards digitized catalogs of other ancient library collections and, on the other hand, the discovery of other editions in addition to the three presented here.

It seems that the origin of these "warnings” [avvertimenti] written for the card game in Milan cannot go back further than 1793. However, we know that instructions for the game of tarocchi were also published in previous times in other cities. Due to proximity, the first case that comes to mind is a book published in Turin. [note 11]. In this book you will find the description of several ways to play tarocchi; the part dedicated to penalties also exists here, without, however, being separate, compact, and extensive; above all, the part on warnings specific to the three Milanese editions is not present, which allows us to exclude Turin as their origin.

There remains a research possibility linked to the fact that Milan was then the capital of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Veneto, part of the Habsburg Empire with Vienna as its capital. We know from the prestigious treatise of Dummett and McLeod that from some texts in German it is possible to obtain information on the game of tarocchi in Milan, on dates not yet witnessed in the Italian language. [note 12] My belief, however, is that the 1793 text was really written by a Milanese author, expert in the local game, as an immediate reaction to reading the almanac of the previous year, and therefore his own warnings cannot be found in previous descriptions of the game, either in Italian or German; this does not mean that the latter cannot provide further and different useful information. For anyone wishing to continue this study on the testimonies on tarocchi in Milan, there remains a further trail to follow.


Florence, 08.18.2023


_______________
11. Primi elementi e regole del giuoco dei tarocchi. Turin 1787.
12. M. Dummett, J. McLeod, A History of Games Played with the Tarot Pack. Lewiston 2004, on p. 114.

Top

July 11, 2023: The game of tarocchi - Milan 1789 and 1792

 Here I post the third in a series of four notes on 18th century books, or rather booklets or sections of almanacs, on playing tarocchi. (The others are just below and above this one in the list that appears on the sidebar for July 2024.) This one is the translation of "Il Giuoco de’ tarocchi ‒ Milano 1789 e 1792," posted July 11, 2023, at https://www.naibi.net/A/MILA178992.pdf.

While the book is reputedly 1789, reprinted 1792, that is only by report, by the author in the same book of 1793 that was the subject of Franco's previous note, translated in the post immediately above this one. That book contains extensive quotations from the predecessor books, to which the 1793 author adds his own comments.

Again, comments in brackets are mine, in consultation with Franco, mostly for clarification to make up for differences between Italian readers (of Italian) and readers (of various nationalities) of English. There will also be a certain amount of explanation of technical terms in the game. However, for some more complicated ones, you will have to go back to the translation of the previous note.

The Game of Tarot - Milan 1789 and 1792

Franco Pratesi

1. Introduction

The book in question is a Milanese almanac published in 1789 and reprinted in 1792. I approached it from the outside, based on what those who saw it wrote about it. I've already described an unknown book, but this is the first time I've described one that I don't even know. What convinced me that I could risk such an unusual undertaking was the fact that the author of a subsequent almanac not only criticized this one but reported several passages verbatim, even with the relevant paragraph numbers.

My main task will then be to transcribe the literal quotes and comments into separate columns, while in the original, they are read with the change of [print] characters, respectively from italic to normal, without interruptions. [In this translation, the quotes will be in italics in one paragraph, then the comments in regular type in the next paragraph.]


2. Preface about dates

A notable part of the first books printed in Milan on tarocchi were [in] almanacs [annuari = literally, annual publications, in this case in almanacchi, almanacs, rather than being the “annuals” or “yearbooks” of modern English, which are published in the year following the year they summarize], in which the part on tarocchi preceded the calendar of the year and other pages with various contents. As a rule, the date of printing is never indicated. These are cases where the uncertainty is fortunately limited to just one year, but this may be enough to cause some confusion.

2
If one looks at an almanac from year x today, taking x as the printing date is the immediate conclusion. However, it is enough to reflect on the practice of the sector to understand that all these almanacs actually saw the light in the second half of the previous year. So I followed the habit of systematically associating the previous year as the printing date of each almanac. However, it is important to be consistent, because there can be notable differences between the production of one year and the next.

In this study, the question of dates requires greater attention than usual because nearby years are involved: the almanac for 1794, printed in 1793, has the majority of the pieces of information on those [almanacs] of interest here: the almanac for 1793, printed in 1792, [which in turn is] an augmented reprint of the almanac for 1790, printed in 1789. I will not keep the 1789 and 1792 editions separate, because the latter would only have one additional, clearly distinct appendix.

3. Information from Alfredo Lensi

The most important reference is found in the well-known Bibliografia of Alfredo Lensi [note 1]. As can be seen, Lensi also suggests in brackets the correct date of the year preceding the calendar, with spaces for daily entries, of 1790.

Game of Tarocchi and its rules. Treatise attached to the giornale [daily, meaning entries and/or blank spaces for every day] for the current year 1790. Milan, Giambattista Bianchi, s.a. (1789), in -16, pp. 48, 24 and 36 nn.

______________
1. A. Lensi, Bibliografia Italiana dei giuochi di carte. Ravenna: Longo 1985.


3

In the preface it is said that this booklet is the translation of a Latin treatise published by Eutrapelius Manfridius. It speaks of the general practice of playing tarocchi in those times, divides the games into those of fortune and those of skill, mentions the meaning of the cards of tarocco, and finally, gives the rules. The second part entitled giornale is nothing more than a calendar.

The parts into which the Treatise is divided are actually three, of which the third - and not the second - would seem to be formed by the calendar. Then perhaps both the first two parts would be related to tarocchi, the first with general considerations and the second with the rules. Alternatively, the initial 48 pages would be dedicated overall to the tarocchi, followed by the second part (thus confirming Lensi!) of 24 calendar pages and the final 36 pages which in this case would not only be unnumbered but probably also blank, for notes and various annotations, as we find in other almanacs.

There is no explicit reference to penalties for fouls, which will instead be the main, if not the only, part of many subsequent reprints. However, it appears clear that this part is included in "his rules." The mention of the meaning of the tarocchi cards also appears particularly important because in terms of date, it would be very close to the original text by Court de Gébelin, as I will discuss at the end.

The introductory part on "the general practice in those times of playing tarocchi" and on the division of "games into those of fortune and those of skill" appears uncommon, especially if the description was rather extensive. The reference to the Latin treatise that would have been translated here is certainly completely unusual - in no other treatise on tarocchi do we encounter such a fantasy, but the involvement and name of this elusive Eutrapelius are confirmed by subsequent testimony.

4
4. Copies and comments from the author of the following year

Thanks to the author of the Milanese almanac [containing] Per chi tarocca, preserved in the Trivulzian and Bodleian Libraries, [note 2] I can benefit from the testimony of another reader [besides Lensi] of this Treatise, who, however, turns the pages of a reprint from three years later, of which we would otherwise have found no indication. Of the 1789 edition, he only says that it was known as a preceding one almost identical to the one he is commenting on: it did not contain an appendix, added only in the reprint, entitled De arte levandi [Of the art of cutting]. It can be assumed that the shared part on tarocchi in the two almanacs was the same, because it is stated that the printer was induced to publish the text again "to please various people." [What follows is from the 1793 book, citing the 1792 book, saying it is an augmented reprint of the 1789-1790 book]

In passing through some Notebooks in my hands this winter, one came to my attention, which had the title of the game of Tarocchi: as an enthusiast of that game I wanted to see what it said, and I found at first, that this was a reprint of the Almanac entitled the game of Tarocchi and its rules, already published in 1790, which the author, to please various people, reproduced again, with the addition of some conclusions taken from the treatise, and from an appendix de arte levandi [of the art of cutting]: my curiosity then grew so much that I would have devoured it all in a moment; but having read just a few pages of an inane nonsense, which talked about everything other than the rules of Tarocchi, I felt so filled with boredom that I wouldn't have gone any further if it hadn't occurred to me that before finishing the little treatise, perhaps I would have found these rules, as in fact I found some; but since they are only a confusion of things, I will only mention a few that seemed to me the most ridiculous and extravagant.

____________
2. https://www.naibi.net/A/MILA1793.pdf.


5

Listen to what he says in §13. Error of only one card, if it is discovered at the beginning of the game, the cards already been taken to the face [into the hands of the players], no one remembering the discoveries, it will be at the discretion of the first to the right of the discarder, therefore the chosen one, male or female, to repair it by passing one at random from the one in excess to the one lacking [a card], or by abandoning the hand.

Oh, this is beautiful. What do you think, Gentlemen Enthusiasts of Tarot? Do you think this is a rule that you can support? That can be practiced nowadays?

But let's move on with the same §. However, in the middle or at the end of the game the end is awaited, and at around the last two or three [tricks], having removed the honors from the excess, one [card] is drawn from the resto [the residual] by lot.

Well done! He wants a card to be removed by lot, without first knowing who made a mistake in dealing the cards, and he wants the honors to be removed from the surplus? He must have copied these rules from some book printed at the time when King Pippin played. I would have liked to know what Sig. Author would have decreed, if by accident these last three cards had been three honors.

In §14 the author of the little treatise says: If this error of one card is discovered in the dealer [scartante, literally, discarder], because he had discarded more or less than two of the ordinary ones [after picking up the two cards left over from the deal], either the game is abandoned or the offender is condemned to the loss of one game [i.e. the number of points fixed for a simple game].

Who has ever heard that it is ordinarily practiced like this? In truth it must be said, he dreamed it.

6

Let's see what he says in §17. Despite the fact that modern practice prohibits discarding honors, and consequently the Bagatto, although it was only (it would be, however, his opinion) to stick to ancient practice, which allows the discarding of the Bagatto (he indeed adds) which even nature and the rationale of the game decide in his favor.

If there were yet in the world a certain man, who had so much passion and attachment for the Bagatto that once playing with his son, because he took it away from him, afterwards ill-treating him badly, he chased him out of the house, and he didn't want to see him again for a long time; if he were still in the world, I would like to say: he is the author of the little treatise; but the poor man has died. Sig. Author, however, takes so much the side of the Bagatto, he must absolutely be of the same school.

In §22, speaking of invitations, he says: Usually the first person to play a low card, for example a low tarocco or the inferior of any suit, is not always [doing] an invitation, but mostly disengagement, giving rise to conflict in explaining.

Oh yes, here Sig. Author will find some badly practiced player who will prove him right, but he will not flatter himself with finding a single one of his opinion who knows how to play well: indeed all the good players will unanimously tell him that the first play must be the strongest and best invitation.

In §24, the author is confused about calculating the winnings and losses of the games to the point that almost all of them are faulty. It is clear that he is as much a calculator as he is a tarocchi player.

7

In a note under the same §, speaking of the capotto [one partnership capturing all the tricks], he says: In the playing rooms, the capotto is given a different value: Ordinarily, however, only two games are the value given:

Indeed, ordinarily, and according to the practice accepted today in almost all conversations [social gatherings], it is given a value of four games, and not two, as Sig. Author says.

Further on in the same note, speaking of the capottone [one player capturing all the tricks], he follows thus: Ordinarily, the capotto is made to count double; for what reason, however, is not known; while this cannot happen: other than attempted mishmash, very little prevails, either reality or industry; therefore it does not seem necessary to reward with a double amount those who contribute nothing or very little of their probity and ingenuity. Ubi parum aut nihil probi ingenii lumen eluceat. [Where little or nothing, let the light of a pure character shine forth – the second part is from Cicero De Oficiis 1.103].

If I could talk to the Author, I would want to ask some things about the capottone. I would like him to tell me if he absolutely believes it cannot be done without an artificial mishmash, as appears from his text; because I could answer him in practice that he is deceived, but very much so; having happened to me, receiving my only capottone after my companion, as a joke, had carefully shuffled the cards of the dealer [scartante]. I would also like him to tell me if he has seen many of them done, and if he has done them himself, which I must not believe, both because of the difficulty of the combinations and because of the turning around [regiro] which is required most of the time to be able to do it [the capottone]. Due to the difficulties with the combinations, there occurred (and this I can say with certainty) [the situation of] being unable to make a capottone with nineteen tarocchi in one's hand, including the two highest: because of the turning that is required; having happened several times to not be able to do it due to the mistake of the partner, who inadvertently keeping a winning card that he was able to give [poteva dare], also made a trick. So if there

8

are many difficulties in making this capottone, so that the majority of tarocchi players do not manage to make one in their whole life, although among these there are many who do not take too much pleasure in shuffling the cards. Why does this Sig. Author make the claim that the prize for the capottone is too excessive, since it is such a difficult thing that it can very rarely be done?

In the conclusion of his treatise there are seven further paragraphs. In the second, and in the fourth, Sig. Author does not explain himself enough, nor too well: in the discourse I will give on fouls with the cards, I will give a clearer explanation. I will only speak of the seventh (leaving aside the others, which mean little or nothing), in which he writes thus: that no signal nor indication can be made to the ally, of either the number of [suit] cards or number of triumphs played; and by doing this, the offending party will be obliged to pay damages of at least one game.

In this §, as in some others, the Author does not speak entirely badly; because when it comes to speaking, there are players who take great liberties, and there should be a penalty to contain them; but how can you ever fix it? How ever to establish the boundaries of discourses and words? There would be a thousand questions every moment. In this article, I would certainly like to be severe and rigorous, but at least one game, as Sig. Author says, it seems to me a penalty that is a little too excessive.

9

In the Appendix, where he speaks de arte levandi [of the art of cutting], what I have found of note to us is the following. There are, however, some who seek artificial mishmashes made by combining (given work) the best cards in the act of enumerating the points, and making one or two piles of them, with dexterity of hand, distributing them in such a way in their shuffle that, if you cut the deck in any way, the cards will appear distributed in such a way that they are not dealt to anyone but himself and his partner.

As much as I have thought about it, and thought about it again, I have never been able to understand, nor will I ever understand, how it is possible to give a shuffled deck, after which, if you cut the deck in any way, says Sig. Author, the cards will be distributed in such a way as to be given only to himself and his partner. Here, of course, either he must have explained himself badly, or he must have an ability which, from his discourse, I certainly would never have believed that Sig. Author could have.

Further on, in the same Appendix, he writes as follows: If you can see where the discarder in shuffling has placed the best cards, address yourself to those and take them for yourself.

Good, very good. This is the best piece that I have found in the entire treatise. Gentlemen Tarocchi Enthusiasts, know how to take advantage.

After reading and re-reading this great treatise, seeing that the Sig. Author (who I believe, barely knows the cards, or has always been playing in a hermitage); seeing, I say, that with these ill-conceived and lacking rules of his, he was only increasingly embarrassing the Enthusiast Tarot Gentlemen, and also hearing that continuous and lively questions occur daily, especially among the quibblers, who always want to make people play the practice according to their particular interest, I determined to truncate them as best as possible, to produce some, the majority of which are already accepted by the public and by practice, by means of which any of the players, if disputes arise, will be able to easily resolve them.

10
The reading is sometimes a little tiring, but less so that of the criticism than of the previous text. You can feel the distance both in time and from Tuscany, but here my ear is only annoyed by the use of "ci" instead of "gli" to say "to him."

I thought I should check to see if the same phrases that were copied from our Treatise could be found in other almanacs or pamphlets on tarocchi printed in Milan in subsequent years. These are concepts that are found again, but I have not found any cases of literal repetition.

5. The meaning of the tarocchi

At the beginning, we read in Lensi's report that the book in question "mentions the meaning of tarocchi." I recently described a tarot-calendar almanac which already in the title, Per chi tarocca [For one who plays tarocco], was addressed to tarocchi players, but then had nothing to report on the game of tarocchi other than the possible meaning of the relevant cards. [note 3] I subsequently realized that that almanac was present among the additions to Lensi's Bibliografia already cited

77.1. Idee di un egiziano sul giuoco del tarocco [Ideas of an Egyptian on the game of tarocco.] Almanac for the leap year 1796. Joseph Feraboli, Cremona, s.a. [1795], in 32°, pp. 8 nos
According to Mauro Barchielli (“La Provincia”, Cremona, 13 December 1983), this pamphlet could be attributed to Isidoro Bianchi (1731-1805) of Cremona. The final reference to “Court de Gebelin” is notable. Fourteen years earlier Antoine Court de Gébelin (1719-1784), in the VIII vol. of his work Le Monde primitif (9 vols., 1773-1782) had linked the deck

__________
3. http://www.naibi.net/A/CREM1795.pdf


11

of tarocchi to esoteric traditions and had attributed its invention to the Egyptians. See n. 7 of this bibliography.

So let's go and see that too, and then the comment added in the Essay of Integration [Saggio di Integrazione]:

7. Almanac published by Monsignor Antonio Dragoni. Cremona, 1814.
Cicognara, in his Storia della calcografia [History of copperplate engraving], on p. 131, cites this almanac and says that it contains an interesting article on the meaning of the tarocchi.
7* Almanac.
It is probable that this booklet (of which no copy has yet been found) constitutes further evidence of the diffusion of Court de Gébelin's fantasies in certain Cremonese circles. See n. 77.1. of the present bibliography. Information on Antonio Antonino Dragoni in G. Biffi, Diario (1777-1781) edited by G. Dossena, Milan, Bompiani, 1976, p. 137.

In short, as far as Cremona is concerned, it can be seen that all the tracks have been followed, and this is not surprising considering that the great expert Giampaolo Dossena was actually from Cremona. Our problem, however, is not to delve into the connections between Cremona and Paris through Freemasonry, but rather to understand whether the capital of Lombardy had also been involved. The question is based on the possible presence of Parisian echoes in this Treatise; in fact, it is not clear in what other context the "meaning of the cards" could be inserted. Thus, moving from Cremona to Milan, the reported "fourteen years" from the printing of Court de Gébelin could be reduced to eight.


12
The possibility of a further anticipation on the basis of the oldest known Milanese edition of this genre appears less promising. Saying “known” in this case is an understatement because we know, thanks to Thierry Depaulis, only the following indication. [note 4]

Le regole per ben giuocare a tarocco [almanacco]. [The rules for playing tarocchi well [almanac].] Milan, 1786. Review in Corriere di Gabinetto. Literary notices (Gazzetta di Milano), Milan, 1787

I do not dare advance hypotheses or proposals regarding this probable prototype of other Milanese texts on tarocchi; I have already risked too much by describing here a book that I don't know.

Florence, 11.07.2023

_______________
4. Th. Depaulis, The Playing Card. Vol. 38, N.1 (2009) pp. 9-13.