Category: Tarocchino Arlecchino
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The World
Harlequin-as-Mercury stands triumphant above the disk of the World. For The Chariot, I mentioned the shared affinity between Mercury, Harlequin, and the tarot. The Chariot features a snappy winged helmet, but here we find the full mercurial regalia, with winged red shoes and the caduceus, entwined in white and black snakes. The horns on his…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The Angel
At the end of the trump sequence, winged Arlecchino rises above entombed Colombina, Pierrot, and Pantalone. This is his tarocchino, after all, and his fellow denizens of the Commedia dell’Arte are here on his fancy. Colombina (left) was a maid character, wife of Pierrot but lover of Arlecchino. Melancholic and pale Pierrot complemented Arlecchino’s madness.…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The Forces of Nature
Welcome. After a time of not wanting to write, I decided to cluster together these four new thematically-linked cards. In these pictures near the end of the trump sequence, Arlecchino becomes disembodied, playing out the interaction between humans and the forces of Nature. First is Lightning, unequivocally destructive. According to the Etteilla meanings, the Tower…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The Devil
Here comes Harlequin, tip-toeing along in his snake-shoes! He prances deftly through spitting flames, looking back over his winged shoulder for watchers in the sky. With his horns, tail, and pitchfork, he makes a perfect charming antagonist for a morality play. The Devil is the most perfect trump for devious Arlecchino. I gave him his…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: Death
Harlequin-Reaper rides in on a golden horse with a ghostly face and ragged mane. His mismatched costume is sleek and form-fitting and he hefts an enormous scythe. As he passes, you hear the rattle of the serpentine spikes on his mask and see the air fill with red swirls. I was originally going to make…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The Hanged Man
Among the forces natural and supernatural which inhabit the second half of the trumps, we have one more human adversary – the Hanged Man, or the Traitor. This devious Harlequin, in his eye-tricking costume and horned mask, hangs by an ankle between two massive, ornate columns. Upside down, he could be a fairy prince dancing…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The Old Man
In this final series of cards, I must deviate from the Etteilla meanings. The Bolognese deck shows some intriguing alternatives to the Marseille trump sequence, and as Etteilla mutated the trumps in his own direction,1 the two are almost incompatible. Ah, the fun of starting a deck with minimal planning… So, I made my own…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The Wheel of Fortune
Up next, Arlecchino will present for us mortals a series of allegories of the forces which challenge us. First, please consider the vicissitudes of fate and fortune! The one who sits atop the gets to wear the regal costume, for a time. Elsewhere, one can only cling on for dear life. In the Bolognese deck,…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The Virtues
Evening falls and the Chariot pulls up to a moss-covered hall. Hop down from your seat, look back up and your driver has disappeared – how strange! Nothing to do but pass through the monumental blackened wood door, behind which lights flicker. Entering the hall, you see a gathering of charming virtuous ladies. That is,…
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Tarocchino Arlecchino: The Chariot
Mercurial! Martial! Such is the dual nature of this Harlequin, with his winged helmet and sword. His war chariot is drawn by two horses, opposed at the head and entangled in the center. Streams of red punctuate the air, litter the ground, and bind the horses together. One sun emits circles of light, the other…