As Fortune on her sphere, so Mercury sits upon his cube: he presides over the arts, she over chance events. Art is made against the force of fortune; but when fortune is bad, it often requires the help of art. Therefore, eager youths, learn the good arts, that have with them the advantages of certain fate.
Alciato's Emblem 99
Alciato was influenced by the Planudean Greek Anthology and created a book of 212 Latin emblem poems; each containing a motto, an image and some text. Andrea Alciato's Emblematum liber or Book of Emblems was first published in 1531. In the preface of the book, Alciato writes, "While boys are entertained by nuts and youths by dice, so playing-cards fill up the time of lazy men. In the festive season we hammer out these emblems, made by the distinguished hand of craftsmen. Just as one affixes trimmings to clothes and badges to hats, so it behooves every one of us to write in silent marks. Though the supreme emperor may give to you, for you to own, precious coins and finest objects of the ancients, I myself shall give, one poet to another, paper gifts: take these, Konrad, the token of my love."
While browsing around through the Alciato site, some of the emblem images reminded me of quite a few Tarot cards and I thought it might prove to be entertaining, if not interesting, to compare some of them here. Also, on a whim influenced by the theme of Greek Anthologies, I've compiled and compared a couple of various Tarot cards with some of Aesop's Fables. Enjoy!
O Proteus, old man of Pallene, with the form of an actor, who at one moment takes the limbs of a man, at another those of a beast, come tell us why you turn into all shapes, so that, forever changing, you have no fixed form?
I bring forth symbols of antiquity and a primaeval age, of which each man dreams, according to his wishes.
