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The Mysterious "Cary Sheet"
by Robert Mealing
A Very Brief Bit of Tarot History
The historical search for the birth and development of
Tarot cards is for many a fascinating preoccupation. Even
though here at the dawn of the 21st Century we have learned
a lot about the development of Tarot cards, there are still
many mysteries to be solved. Housed in the Cary Collection
at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale
University in New Haven, Connecticut, is a rare find...
an uncut sheet of Tarot cards, probably produced in Milan,
dating as far back as possibly the year 1500. This sheet
has come to be known as the “Cary Sheet”.
Thanks to the work of scholars like Stuart Kaplan, Ronald
Decker, Thierry Depaulis, and Michael Dummett, most historians
agree that Tarot cards were invented sometime in the mid
to late 1400’s, relatively shortly after regular
playing cards were introduced to Europe in the 14th Century.
It is suggested that Tarot cards were produced as a game
to amuse members of the Visconti, d’Este and other
royal houses of Northern Italy. The oldest Tarot cards
in existence, from the hand-painted Visconti and d’Este
Tarot decks, date from this period.
We also know that within another century, wood-block printed,
hand-stenciled cards were being mass produced in Italy
and France. For the past several centuries, the most famous
style of these printed cards has come to be known as the “Tarot
of Marseilles” pattern, named after one of the largest
areas of card manufacturing - Marseilles, in southern France.
The most familiar antique decks of the “Marseilles” (or
similar style), include the Jean Dodal (Lyon, 1701-1715),
Jean Noblet (Paris, circa 1650), and Nicolas Conver (Marseilles,
1760). When compared to their Italian cousins, these decks
share much of the same imagery, yet they developed a standard
iconography all their own. A standard that has stood the
test of time for hundreds of years.
The Tarot of Marseilles
Where did the TdM (Tarot de Marseilles) iconography come
from? The images on the Cary Sheet are so intriguing because
they bare many similarities to the famous 17th Century
Tarot of Marseilles pattern. Some have even called the
Cary Sheet the “Missing Link”, representing
the evolutionary stage between the 15th Century Italian
decks to the 17th Century French decks; but it is possible
that the sheet could represent a French pattern migrating
into Italy.
On the sheet are the full images of 6 cards, and fragments of 12 other cards.
While the images are untitled and unnumbered, like the early Italian decks,
the six complete cards are fairly easy to recognize as The Popess, The Emperor,
The Empress, The Moon, The Star, and The Magician. The partial cards include
Wheel of Fortune, Chariot, Lovers, Strength, The Sun, The Tower, The Devil,
Temperance, and possibly The Hanged Man, Justice, The Pope, The Fool, Seven
and Eight of Batons.
View the Cary Sheet Online
The Library at Yale University has kindly placed a high
resolution scan of the Cary Sheet online.
The Moon
When first viewing the Cary Sheet, some of the cards are
immediately apparent as being likely related to the TdM
style. The Moon in particular has almost all of the standard
imagery expected in a TdM pattern. The crawfish is prominently
displayed rising out of the water. There are two towers
on either side of the card. The face of the moon shines
above a crescent. Some have mentioned that the dogs/wolves
found in the TdM pattern are present as well, but I can
not discern them.
The Moon, Cary Sheet and Jean Dodal Tarot. Click to enlarge.
The Star
The Star is also strikingly similar to the traditional
TdM pattern. The kneeling nude figure pours water from
two jugs while a large star shines brightly above her.
A notable difference when compared to the TdM pattern is
the number of stars surrounding the largest star. In traditional
TdM iconography, there are seven stars, but on the Cary
Sheet, there are only five... four clearly visible in the
sky, and an additional one on the figure’s right
shoulder.
The Star, Cary Sheet and Nicolas Conver Tarot. Click
to enlarge.
The Sun
Unfortunately, we can see only half of The Sun card. At
first glance, it seems that it might have the twins traditionally
found in the TdM pattern, but on closer inspection it appears
that there might insted be only one figure pictured, holding
a banner. Andy Pollett has recreated a possible sample
of what the complete image might have looked like on his
excellent website here.
The Emperor and Empress
The Emperor and The Empress are portrayed in the traditional
seated positions, although The Empress is unusually shown
in profile. Both hold the shield with the empirical eagle,
and a scepter with orb.
The Cary Sheet depiction of The Popess is quite interesting. The book she usually
holds on her lap has instead been placed on a stand. An altar-boy or monk kneels
beside her. Both the stand and the second figure do not appear in the TdM style.
The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune, while only a fragment, is very revealing.
Like the 15th Century Visconti-Sforza deck, it seems to
have four figures circling the wheel; but the figure of
Fortune has been removed, and the turncrank for the wheel
is now visible. Also of note is that the figures are human
rather than animal. It’s possible that (also like
the Visconti deck) the figures are portrayed as humans,
but have some animal-like appendages such as tails or ears.
The Jacques Vieville Tarot (dated 1643-1664), while not
really a TdM, is worth mentioning here as two changes have
occured... there are now three figures on the wheel, and
one of the figures has turned completely into an animal.
By the time of the 1760 Nicolas Conver deck, the remaining
two humans now also have animal shapes, but have retained
human facial features.
The Wheel of Fortune, Cary Sheet, Visconti-Sforza, Jacques
Vieville, and Nicolas Conver Tarot. Click to enlarge.
The Magician
The Magician on the Cary Sheet wears a very plain cap,
which is extremely unusal. Even in the Visconti Tarots
he dons an extravagant hat. He is seen seated behind his
table, perhaps performing a trick. He holds a cup in his
right hand, and probably his wand in his left. His table
is cluttered with the tools of his trade.
The Magician, Cary Sheet, and Nicolas Conver Tarot. Click
to enlarge.
What does it mean?
In conclusion, the Cary Sheet is one of the oldest links
to the origin of the Tarot. Some of the iconography looks
remarkably similar to what we would call the Tarot of Marseilles
style, yet there are features that resonate with the style
of the Visconti, d’Este, and other early Italian
decks. It also has attributes that are uniquely its own.
When placing it in history, it fits neatly between the
assumed dating of the Italian decks and the Tarot of Marseilles
decks. It was probably produced in Milan, which during
that period of time fell under both Italian and French
rule.
It would be wonderful to someday find other sheets from the same deck. What
does The Hanged Man look like? Would it reveal what is dangling from his shoulders?
The Chariot looks like it is a platfom, much like the Visconti decks, is it
a woman or a man riding triumphantly? The fragment of the lovers seems to show
two figures, not three, and we’re not even sure if there is a cupid floating
above them.
But even without these answers, perhaps one mystery has
been at least partially answered... how did the French
and Italians influence each other during the development
of the tarot? Is the Cary Sheet the bridge by which the
Tarot traveled between countries during its infancy?
More Info:
Andy's
Playing Cards
The
Tarot Hermit
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