Tarot Decks: Bolognese Pattern

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The Bolognese tarot (called also Tarocco Bolognese and Tarocchino Bolognese) is the style of tarot deck used in and around Bologna since the 15th century.

Bologna gives some of the earliest evidence for the existence of the game of "triumphs", and with Ferrara and Milan is considered one of the cities where the game may have been invented.

Bologna is home to a large number of tarot games, as well as the very old tradition of Bolognese cartomancy.

Presently the firms of Dal Negro and Modiano make this type of deck for the Bolognese market, under the name "Tarocco Bolognese".

Although one of the currently best known Tarocchino Bolognese is the Tarocchino di Mitelli created by Giuseppe Maria Mitelli around 1660-65 it is rather a variation upon the Bolognese tarot than a classical example of it. This is because, although the subjects are the same as the ones found in the Bolognese pattern, the execution of them is very different from the original.

[edit] Characteristics

The deck consists of 62 cards and is therefore also called Tarocchino (small tarot) because of its fewer number of cards (a type of pack introduced in the early 16th century):

  • 22 trionfi (Trumps)
  • 4 personages of equal rank originally referred to as the 4 popes and those take the place of the Popess, Empress, Emperor and Pope. After the papal ban upon that name in 1725 they where renamed to the 4 Moors.
  • 40 cards in the four suits, called semi (literally seeds or pips) in Italian . The pips 2-5 were removed from each suit. These small numbers continue to exist in the regular traditional Bolognese pack, the Primiera.
  • The cards are double-headed (i.e. there is no upside-down). This feature was introduced around 1780.
  • There are no titles on any of the cards (Trumps or Court cards)
  • The numbers 5 (Love) to 16 (Star) were added to the trumps in the late 18th century.

[edit] 22 Trionfi:

  • L'Angelo (the Angel - not numbered)
  • Il Mondo (the World - not numbered)
  • Il Sole (the Sun - not numbered)
  • La Luna (the Moon - not numbered)
  • 16 La Stella (the Star)
  • 15 La Saetta (the Arrow (Lightning bolt= Tower))
  • 14 Il Diavolo (the Devil)
  • 13 La Morte
  • 12 Il Traditore (or: Appeso)
  • 11 Il Vecchio
  • 10 La Ruota
  • 9 La Forza
  • 8 La Giusta
  • 7 La Tempra
  • 6 Il Carro
  • 5 L'Amore
  • I Quattro Moretti (the Four Little Moors - not numbered)
  • Il Bégato (the Begato (=Bagattino, Bagatella) - not numbered)
  • Il Matto (the Fool - not numbered)

The 21 trumps between Bégato and Angelo are collectively referred to by players as numeri, "numbers", distinguishing them from the Matto.

The four trumps the Angel, the World, the Bagattino and the Matto are collectively known as tarocchi. They are distinguished from the others because they are the only trumps which carry an individual scoring value (5 points each).

[edit] 4 Semi (Suits)

(40 cards; note the reverse ranking of the pips in Cups and Coins) -

  • Bastoni: Re, Regina, Cavallo, Fante, Dieci, Nove, Otto, Sette, Sei, Asso. (Batons: King, Queen, Knight, Page, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, Ace.)
  • Coppe: Re, Regina, Cavallo, Fante, Asso, Sei, Sette, Otto, Nove, Dieci. (Cups: King, Queen, Knight, Page, Ace, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.)
  • Spade: Re, Regina, Cavallo, Fante, Dieci, Nove, Otto, Sette, Sei, Asso. (Swords: King, Queen, Knight, Page, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, Ace.)
  • Denari: Re, Regina, Cavallo, Fante, Asso, Sei, Sette, Otto, Nove, Dieci. (Coins: King, Queen, Knight, Page, Ace, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.)
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