4. Bologna and Florence

It is now a matter of comparing the cards of the two cities, mindful at the same time of the variants that exist with both. I will start with the number cards from 2 to 10. First, in Coins the most common versions have heads in the suit-signs. Only when different from this can the suit-sign be identified with one city or another: "cogwheels" for Bologna's "al Mondo" and eight-pointed stars for Florence's "Etruria." Of course if the 4 of Coins is present, Florence has an elephant and Bologna an insignia of the card maker. 

In Batons I can see no particular difference between the two cities. In Cups, there are only the 3 and 4, as already mentioned. That leaves Swords. As it happens, the 4s, 5s, 6s, 8s and 10s are quite different in the two cities, regardless of the orientation of the little animals right to left and whether the sword-hilts are a single bar for all or separate. Below, the top row is the quite invariant Bolognese presentation, from the British Museum (BM) deck ending in 40. The lower row has an Etruria (BM deck ending in 38) for the 10 and 8 and a Poverino (ending in 41) for the rest; but the animals are the same. (These BM decks are all at  https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?keyword=minchiate). It is the same in every deck that meets at least one of De Giorgio's criteria for Florence, except two with conjoined sword hilts that have the monkey on the 4 looking at a mirror or book instead of playing an instrument. You can also see the dots around the edges, absent from the top row, although it is a deck with backs. 

In the 10, the Bolognese animals are clearly rabbits, from their long ears and short tails, and between them an upside down floral pattern. In Florence, the ears are shorter, at least one tail longer, with a star between them. In the 8, the bottom figure is a rabbit, in Florence, it is clearly not that. On top, the Bolognese animal is standing, but in Florence sitting. On the 6, there is a peacock on top in Bologna; in Florence it is a globe of some sort. In the 5, Bologna has one chicken; Florence invariably has two (the engraveds have three). On the 4, the top animal in Bologna is a squirrel, but a monkey playing an instrument (or holding something away from its face) in Florence. On the 3, Bologna has one infant facing us and both sitting. In Florence, his back is turned and both are standing. In all but the Etrurias, even the 2 can be distinguished in the two cities, by the straight versus curved sword hilts, as in the 3s. Here are five examples: "in Bologna" (BM 39), "di Roma" (Hewitt-Cooper), Poverino (BM 41), Etruria (BM 38), and the "Colombo" on Gallica, where the animals are reversed. The sword-hilts on the fourth are similar to those on the first and second.

The 7s and 9s of the Etruria also cannot be distinguished from their Bolognese equivalents by this method, as they have no animals. But the Etrurias are more crudely made than the Bolognese decks..

In the Aces, there are no little animals, but it even easier to distinguish Florence from Bologna. In the features that matter, all the decks of the one city are alike and characteristically different from those of the other. Endebrock's of Bologna is the top row, the British Museum's "Etruria" ending in 36 in the lower.

In Bologna, the arm that holds the Aces of Swords and Batons comes from the left, while in Florence it invariably is from the right. In Cups, Bologna's has a larger interior and shorter stem than Florence's; the foliage resembling handles is also different. In Bologna's Ace of Coins, the inside of the disc has a floral pattern, and the foliage at the bottom is symmetrical top and bottom. Florence has a face in the disc, and the foliage repeats in the same orientation top and bottom. An apparent counterexample regarding Swords and Batons is an uncut sheet as shown by Monzali, part I (above) and earlier by Depaulis (Tarot, Jeu et Magie 1984, on gallica). On this sheet, the King of Coins is unbearded and the Aces of Coins and Cups conform to the Florentine pattern - but Swords and Batons do not; the arms come from the left. Monzali notes that the DSM catalog's reproduction is a mirror image of the one he and Depaulis show. But which is the correct one? He does not say; but look at which hand the court figures hold their suit objects with: it is the left; but in every actual deck known, they are held by the right hand. So Monzali and Depaulis's image must be reversed right to left for the true picture, as the DSM shows it. Since that is where the sheet is kept, it is not surprising that they would have got it right.

Besides the unbearded Kings of Coins and Cups, there is one other thing that separates the court cards of Florence from those of Bologna. Bologna's knights of Swords and Batons have spikes in the middle of their shields, the same as their Jacks (below, BM deck ending in 40). Florence's Jacks have those spikes, at least most of the time, but their knights never (BM deck ending in 41, a Poverino). This difference holds even for the 17th-century uncut sheet (above).

Moving on to the trumps, I will start with Papa I and Papa II together, the cards that in the tarot of today would be the Magician and the Empress. Although Romain Merlin in 1856 (Origine des cartes à jouer, 1869 edition in Google Books) reported the name "Grand Duke," "Empress" was its original name even in Minchiate, as Nazario Renzoni reported in the article cited in my Introduction (fifth paragraph). Evidence of her former gender is evident in Bologna (top row, second card) in the round lines suggesting female breasts. This is true even in minchiates of the variant version, as in the uncut, uncolored sheet (top row, 3rd). In the Florentine versions, there is nothing so vulgar - or perhaps, so suggestive of nurturing - but rather just a certain cut of the clothes, with a high waist broadening as it ascends.

As we saw in the previous section, Papa I typically has a playing card in his hand. That is not so for the Bologna version (top row). In the Museo Correr version (second row, first card), it quite evidently a playing card, the 6 of a black suit, although sometimes it is not so clear what the rectangular object is. When the card is absent - so far all I have found like that is the Etruria - it is still distinguished from Bologna by the child's arm that reaches over the man's chest. Since in the "Colomba" on Gallica, the child is holding a playing card I would not call the Etruria another variant, but rather the product of an inept cutter. 

In this case, the 17th century sheet is an apparent counter-example, as I see no playing card. I explain it away by saying that the card in the hand was a later addition. However, in this case there is another thing that is closer to Florence than Bologna. If you look at the seventeenth century sheet, there is a triangular shaped bag hanging from the main figure's his belt. In Bologna, part of it is on the table. In Florence, the back edge of the table is still in front of this bag, at least most of the time. 

Papas III and IIII have a  quite standard presentation in Bologna (top left at left.). I see one clear difference from those attributed to Florence (Etruria, top right, Correr, bottom left, BM 37, middle; Poverino, bottom middle, BM 37): the bird on Papa IIII has its left wing upraised in Florence, to the side in Bologna. Another difference may well be the lack of a horizontal double line through the center of the orb in Florence. If so, the Etruria at least is an exception; I do not see any such line on the other four, but I do not see them  clearly enough. Neither of the two Colombas nor the several Fortunas shows a Papa IV for comparison, unfortunately. 

I turn to Love, Temperance and Strength. The first three, upper left, are the standard "in Bologna" version, then the "di Roma" version of Love, fourth, followed by Love and Strength in the Etruria. In the lower row, the "Poverino" comes first, then the Correr, which gives more elegant versions of the standard. The standard Bologna Love is easy to distinguish from the "Poverino" variant, by Cupid's position above the lady as well as by Bologna's over-large crown. Rome's crown is a little smaller, but its Cupid looks much the same as Bologna's. Between Bologna's Cupid and the standard ones in Florence a majorut the main giveaway is the arm pulling back the arrow, bent at the elbow in Bologna but straight in Florence, even when, as in the "Etruria," the arrow is drawn as far back as Cupid's hand (although the bowstring is not!).

In Temperance, the lower vase in Bologna has a face, sometimes recognizable as that of a lion. There is no face on Florence's vase. There is also the different trajectory of the water. In this case, I didn't show Etruria's Temperance; it is much the same as the Poverino and Correr, just more crudely drawn. It is one example out of many in which both the Poverino and the Etruria have similarly designed cards.

Florence's Strength card, on the other hand, usually does have a face at the bottom, at the lady's feet, even if in the Poverino it is hard to make out (to the right, covered in brown); Bologna has nothing but ground there. The Correr - and several like it online - not only have the face, in a lion-like manner, and the bottom of the column, but the outline of a shield. In the Bolognese version, the shield looks more like a kind of straight-edge, but sometimes, if the lady is not grabbing it by both edges, it could be a shield, too. 

 

I will put off looking at Justice until a little later. In the meantime, the first row below is from BM 40, plus the Bolognese variant of Death from BM 1597. The bottom row, for Florence, is 

 A bird on the Wheel-strider's orb, of course, identifies the card as of the variant, whether of Rome or Bologna (not shown: for the image, see the section on Bologna). Comparing Florence with the standard depiction in Bologna, the main difference is in how the man going down is drawn: he looks down in Florence (bottom row, 1st on left) and up in Bologna (top row, 1st); not only that, his balloon pants in Florenze make him appear to have lost a leg, quite visible in Bologna. The Chariot card invariably has a rider on the horse at our right, never seen in Bologna. Another distinction is in the "Viva viva" that appears on the Florentine banner. And the lady's legs are spread invitingly wider. The Hanged Man in

Bologna has his arms bent far more at the elbow than in Florence. Sometimes, as in the Etruria version shown in the previous section, they aren't bent at all, until the wrist.
The Florentine Poverino variant (bottom row far right) is somewhere in between. How his legs are crossed also distinguishes the variant from Bologna. Death in Bologna has two legs visible, but only one in Florence. This is a feature that is seen even in the "Finale Liguria" version of c. 1700 shown in the DSM catalog. Death's horse in the Bologna variant pattern is missing a leg, but Death's two legs still define it as Bolognese. On the Devil, too, there is an invariable difference: the figure is always striding in Florence, while standing in Bologna. While a slim, feminine appearance is typical, he/she can also be given a more stocky, masculine build, typically naked. An example is at left, from the British Museum deck ending in 1073.

For the Tower card, called "House of the Devil" in Florence, Bologna's is far left and second left below. The standard representation is that of the BM deck ending in 40 (second left below). We can't see where the man's arm is, but he doesn't seem to be looking at her. The DSM catalog (p. 111) says "der Blitz in ein Tor erschlagt, aus dem Adam und Eva herauskommen" - lightning strikes a gate from which Adam and Eve emerge. Well, perhaps; in that case, the man's arm is simply raised to heaven like the woman's, pleading for mercy. In another Bolognese version (BM ending in 39, first left), the card maker has left a white spot on the woman's hair, as if to suggest the man's arm, either upraised or on her head.  

 In one version of the Florentine image (third left, the Colomba on Gallica), that the the man's hand is on the woman's head is rather clear; it is not just a matter of paint, there are also no lines from the woodblock there except the outline of the hand and arm. She is also naked. The Etruria version shown in the previous section is similar. Other decks, such as the Christie auction catalog's Fortuna (far right), that in the Depaulis 1984 catalog of the same name, and Merlin's from the Correr, have no arm clearly going up her hair and onto her head. The Poverino, third from left above, is different yet, still with no hand on the head, but following the early engraved's version and Bologna in having the lady with a cloth around her middle. The main difference from Bologna is in the lady's limb positions.

 

Next comes Hope, which I will take up along with Justice and Charity. Below are BM 40 for Bologna and next to them the Gallica Colomba for Florence.

There are indeed some small differences. On Justice, the figure looks more to our right, and the balance pans are more different in height in Florence than in Bologna. On hope, there is less of the seat showing behind the figure in Bologna than in Florence. Charity's flame is narrower in Florence than in Bologna. Are these consistent differences among the various decks, with few exceptions? Yes, in fact, if one goes to the BM site and looks at BM 41, BM 38, BM 50, and others.

 

On Prudence, the differences between the standard images are: she looks forward in Bologna, sometimes toward the mirror in Florence and sometimes not. The Poverino is different from the rest in that the snake's middle is almost on her lap. Is there any difference that separates all of them from Bologna? Bologna's has a trimmer waist compared to the rest. That is at least something.

On Faith, the Bologna variant (second left) has the bearded old man as opposed to the more usual lady (first left). With the lady, the card is hard to distinguish from some Florentine versions, such as the BM deck ending in 50 (2nd from right below). The main differences are that Florence's lady looks younger, while at the same time having a wider waistline. In the nearly complete Poverino, BM 41 (3rd from left), the lines are too faint to make out much. Is it an oval or a cross, or a combination of both?  The cross-staff was a traditional attribute of Faith. But in Florence the version with the most surviving examples has a diamond or kite shape. as the BM deck whose number ends in 1073 (far right). 

 

 

The decks that followed in the period after 1820 made the difference between Bologna and Florence clearer: the man grabs the woman's head on the Tower card; no longer suggesting the expulsion from Paradise but more a doomed attempt at escape from "the house of the devil." The kite in Faith becomes a spear, as seen in the 1860-1890 "later minchiate pattern" cards at left. Likewise, the eight-pointed halo, missing from the earlier "later pattern," has been restored.

Fire's standard image has the animal going to the left in Bologna and most decks in Florence; only the Etruria has it facing the other way. Even when they face the same way, there are differences, some reflective of an individual producer and some not. On the Poverino, it is not just the stencil that has the flames on both sides of the animal: the lines made by the woodblock are the same, unlike in Bologna. However, other producers do not have those flames. What they do have is flames that form a half circle around the animal, rather than a wall of flames as in Bologna. Compare the three rows below: Bologna on top (BM deck ending in 39); middle row Poverino (first three) and Etruria (last two); bottom row then the image in Hargrave.

On Water, the difference is dependably the shape of the hull, more rounded in Florence. Two other differences that usually can be made out is that Bologna has a figure who seems to be rowing or using the rudder, while in Florence that same figure seems to be just standing or sitting there, perhaps talking to another person on the other side. Also, the lines on Bologna's sails bend so as to suggest the force of the wind on them, while Florence's usually but not always are straight and stiff. They go diagonally from the two sides, but how many lines one way or the other varies. Another thing is the portholes.

Earth in Florence always has two animals on either side of the stream, one drinking; these animals are not present in Bologna. Other differences are that the stream divides into three at the bridge in Bologna, only two in Florence. Also, Florence has a castle on the right topped by a flagpole (although the Poverino paints it to look like a steeple); in Bologna, it is definitely a steeple.

On Air, the Poverino variant (which will be imitated by the later "later minchiate pattern"), as shown previously combines the engraved's mammal with the birds and clouds of the standard. The more standard lizard is depicted variously in Florentine, none quite like the Bolognese one. Notice also that in the second row of stars Bologna has three but Florence two.

On Libra, the Poverino variant differs from the rest in that the animals both facing right (see previous section). Other decks are quite consistent in how they depict the two animals, although the one in Hargrave actually shows the top animal being skewered by the beam normally behind it. Between Bologna and Florence the only easily recognized difference is in the direction of the streamer on top: to the right in Bologna, to the left in Florence..

For these subjects, care must again be taken to distinguish the woodcut patterns from the later "later pattern" cards, typically done by an engraving process, although by the nineteenth century using not metal plates but wood. The late engraved Fire, the animal now facing left, is much like the Poverino; its Water has adopted many features of the woodcut version, and likewise Earth. Air is identical with the Poverino version, only the higher quality of execution distinguishing the two. These are all much closer to the woodcut versions than the early version of the engraved. On Libra, the two animals face the same direction, like the Poverino, except that they now face left, and there are streamers on both sides.

 

Now the next five. In Florence, Capricorn has a turtle on the ground to our right; Bologna has a bush; in Pisces, Florence and and not Bologna has a duck in the water. Aquarius in Bologna strangely omits the lattice work between the figure’s legs, unlike in Florence. On Taurus, there is a difference is in the lines at the bottom of the card: overlapping curves in Bologna, more cloudlike, with an inexplicable oval in the center; in each case, the lines suggest clouds, more clearly in Florence, while the colors suggest earth. Sometimes these lines are not visible, however. Another difference is in the way the animal's middleback is drawn: more concave in Florence, convex in Bologna. The example below also has differences in how the head is drawn, but that is not a reliable guide. (It is possible that my distinctions are too subtle, so this card needs a question mark.) On Gemini, the right figure’s hand in Florence touches the left figure’s chest higher up, near the breast, compared to the Bolognese card, and the pair are thinner; or else the card is similar to the early engraved version (far right), which never happens in Bologna.

There remain six signs of the zodiac, which are together because I did not recognize them at first, and even now I am not sure about all of them. The difficulty is not in finding differences, but in finding ones that are shared by all or most of the other extant decks that fit the same overall pattern. These are Virgo, Scorpio, Aries, Sagittarius, Cancer, and Leo. The first row will be these subjects in BM 40, a standard Bolognese deck. The second will be BM36 for the first, Virgo, and BM 74 for the rest – all Etrurias, selected as the ones with the best view of the woodblock impressions. The third row are from a variety of other decks, BM 1081, a Colomba, for Virgo; 1073, a Fortuna, for Scorpio; BM 37 for Aries; BM 1073 for Cancer; and BM 37 for Leo.

The sash down the Virgo lady's front is plain in Bologna, but with a geometrical pattern in Florence.be thicker. Scorpio has a prominent row of what look like teeth in Bologna, absent or smaller in Florence. Aries holds his staff with his hooves in Bologna, forelegs in Florence. Sagittarius's tail hangs limp in Bologna, swishes to the left or raises slightly in Florence (not shown). Cancer has a notch on its back end (right) and feelers from roundish protrusions in Bologna, no notch in Florence and at least one triangular protusion or several smaller ones (not shown). The lattice behind Leo in Bologna has only a few crossbeams and a lot more dark space than in Florence, and Leo's stomach is tucked in less than in Bologna.

Now the final five. For Florence's Star and Moon, I will use the "Colomba" on Gallica, because the paint covers the lines too much on my usual examples. On the Star, the horseman's foot is invariably next to the horse's foreleg, but further away in Florence. On the Moon, the piece of furniture that the man is sitting on is clearly shown in Bologna, while covered by his robe in Florence. The calipers are also further apart in Florence, and lines radiate from the Moon rather than being vertical. On the Sun, there is invariably a tree’s trunk and branches on the far right in Florence; in Bologna, it is a building, sometimes with foliage above coming from off the card. And on the World, Florence's figure is usually clearly female. most commonly with a squarish building, perhaps classical, in the circle below. In the Introduction I showed a rare example with buildings on hills. In Bologna, the figure is androgynous or perhaps male, and it is clearly a church below. Finally, the Fool in Bologna has his hand - or lines resembling a hand - around the child on our left, a boy; in Florence the hand, either his or the child's, is next to his chest (barely visible in the "Colomba," unfortunately). In Bologna, that child is showing the main figure a toy with the head of a duck; in Florence there is nothing in that hand. The left hand of the other child reaches toward the main figure's belt in Bologna; in Florence, his reach is lower down, towards his crotch. I will say more about that position and the child's gender in the next section. Another thing is the man's outfit: feathered trousers in Bologna, checkered in Florence. A version of this Florentine pattern with stronger lines is at http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks05/d02057/d02057j01.jpg.

In these last ten subjects, with the exception of Gemini, the later "later minchiate" keeps much to its earlier designs, with only slight changes, i.e. moving a hand slightly in the Sun and putting a cloth around the figure in the World (already seen in Gallica's Colomba deck), otherwise retaining the turtle on Capricorn, duck on Pisces, a single jug for Aquarius, a full-length Taurus, and a map of Europe on the World. Gemini changes from the two seen here to two Roman-era warriors. I have already illustrated most of these differences in the sections on Bologna and Florence.

 

So what can we conclude in terms of characterizing a "Bologna woodcut minchiate pattern" vs. a "Florence woodcut minchiate pattern? I will sum up the foregoing with a list. The distinctive features are not universal but are still useful, because the exceptions are very specific and mostly confined to decks with “Poverino” (e.g. the British Museum deck whose object number ends in 41) or “Etruria” (e.g.  the BM deck ending in 36) on their backs, or with fronts identical to those, such as the “Meschino” of the Kaplan collection. It is possible that there are other exceptions in versions of cards I have not seen, and that if known, they would be enough to make one or another of the criteria useless. However, the list otherwise would still be useful, I think, as long as the exceptions, whether in decks or cards, don’t multiply too much. And while patterns have to do with concurrent distinctive design elements, not where a deck is made, yet I think “Bologna” and “Florence” are descriptive enough, even if decks of each type may have been made elsewhere, and if a few of these criteria do not hold in a particular case. 

(1) On Papa I, Florence has a playing card in front of the main figure’s chest, held either by the main figure or the one at our left (except in the Etrurias and the 17^th-century sheet), absent in Bologna.

(2) Papa II in Bologna has curved lines suggestive of breasts (except the “Al Leone”), absent in Florence.

(3) Papa IIII's bird's left wing is raised in Florence but just extends outward in Bologna. Another difference might be a double horizontal line in Bologna, invisible or unclear in Florence, except in the Etrurias.

(4) Love has an oversized crown in Bologna, but one proportional to the man’s head in Florence; also, Cupid’s bow-arm bends at the elbow in Bologna but is straight in Florence.

(5) Bologna’s Temperance has a face on the lower vase; also, the water curves between the two vases; there is no face in Florence, and the water falls in a straight line.

(6) Strength has a lion-face at the bottom part of the card in Florence, and often the lower part of the column in Florence (except in the BM Poverinos and Etrurias), absent from Bologna.

(7) Justice looks more to our right in Florence, and her balance dips down further, compared to Bologna.

(8) The Wheel's downward figure looks down in Bologna, up in Florence.

(9) Florence's Chariot has “Viva viva” on its banner and a rider on one of the horses, both absent in Bologna.

(10) The Old Man is more stooped in Florence than in Bologna, with his feet closer to the left edge of his robe, except in the Poverinos.

(11) The Hanged Man's arm positions are different in Florence compared to Bologna, in all except the Poverinos; there the leg position is different (like the engraved).

(12) Death has two legs showing in Bologna, spaced well apart on the card, overlapping or just one (Colombas) in Florence.

(13) The Devil’s leg positions suggest striding in Florence, standing in Bologna.

(14) The lady coming out of the Tower wears a loincloth in Bologna, absent in Florence (except the Poverinos); in all, her arm positions are different in the two cities.

(15) Hope sits further forward on her bench in Florence, leaving space on it behind her, than in Bologna, where her outer garments cover the space behind her.

(16) Prudence has a trimmer waist in Bologna than in Florence.

(17) Charity's fire is narrower in Florence than in Bologna.

(18) The fire on Fire is semi-circular in Florence, but relatively square in Bologna, taking up much of the frame horizontally at the top.

(19) In Florence, the ship on Water has portholes, unlike Bolonga’s, and a rounder hull.

(20) On Earth, two animals drink on either side of the stream, missing from Bologna. Also, Bologna’s bridge has three culverts, only two in Florence.

(21) Air has three stars in the second row in Bologna, two stars in Florence.

(22) The streamer on top of the pole on Libra goes to the left in Florence and to the right in Bologna.

(23) Capricorn has a turtle at the bottom of the card in Florence, absent in Bologna.

(21) Pisces has a duck at the bottom of the card in Florence, absent in Bologna,

(22) Taurus in Florence emerges from a cloud-like formation in Florence, a semi-circle in the bottom middle, but just parallel lines simulating the ground in Bologna; also, the bull’s upper back is convex in Bologna, more concave in Bologna.

(23) Aquarius has a gap in the lattice between the figure’s legs in Bologna, filled in Florence

(24) The Gemini bow their heads in Bologna; in Florence, either they are stiffly vertical or both face the viewer.

(25) On the Star, the horse-rider’s leg is next to the horse’s foreleg in Bologna, but not in Florence

(26) On the Moon, the furniture that the man sits on is visible in Bologna, covered in Florence. Also, the Moon has rays in Florence, but not in Bologna, where vertical shading may or may not be present.

(27) On the Sun, the man wears striped balloon trousers, vs. culottes in Bologna; also, the left edge has a tree in Florence, vs. a building with tree foliage above it in Bologna.

(28) The World's angel is feminine-looking in Florence, androgynous or masculine in Bololgna; also, in the orb below is a squarish building, perhaps with a classical façade; Bologna has a church with a tower.

(29) Trumpets’ skyline has high and leaning towers in Bologna, absent in Florence (as De Giorgio says).

(30) On the Fool, the child at our left holds a stick with the head of a duck in Bologna, absent in Florence. The Fool’s hand is around that child’s middle in Bologna, although sometimes his fingers merge with the shading on the child. The hand is simply in front of him in Florence. The other child’s hand reaches toward the Fool’s pubic area in Florence, but toward his chest in Bologna.

In addition, the suit signs of the Aces of Swords (31) and Batons (32) are consistently held by the arm coming from the left in Bologna but from the right in Florence (the 17th-century sheet in Monzali part 1 and Depaulis 1984 is not an exception, because what they show is its mirror-image). The cup on the Ace of Cups (33) has a long stem in Florence, shorter in Bologna, which has a larger bowl. The coin on the Ace of Coins (34) consistently has a face inside it in Florence but a floral pattern in Bologna; also, the vegetation at the bottom is a mirror image of the pattern at the top in Bologna, whereas its lines are parallel in Florence. The shields of the Knights of Batons (35) and Swords (36) have sharp spikes in the center in Bologna but not in Florence. Some of the small figures on the 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 of Swords are depicted differently in Bologna and Florence (37-41). In Florence, the sword hilts on each side of the 4 through 10 are connected in a straight line (except in the Etrurias) but are separate in Bologna (these include the 7 and 9, so 42-43). On the 2 and 3 of Swords, the sword-hilts curve at the ends in Bologna, ending in little balls, while they end in small bars at right angles to the hilts in Florence (44 and 45), except in the Etrurias. And of course, as De Giorgio says, the 3 and 4 of Cups and the 4 of Coins are different in the two cities (46-48).

I may have been too picky sometimes, but even small differences are important if they are seen consistently. These criteria are only based on my sample; more cards in more decks could upset the results.

The result is that attuned to these differences a collector or viewer of an exhibition catalog or online site will be able to specify better the designs of a particular deck by saying which pattern it belongs to, whether it be the Florentine standard as I have presented it, or of the “Poverino” or “Etruria” varieties, or of Bologna and its variants, adding only what few exceptions there may or may not be.

An example is the deck Keller assigned to Florence based on the “di Firenze” on its 4 of Coins, where Florence would have an elephant. Here are its Water and Knight of Swords in relation to the two cities. After seeing the characteristic differences between the two cities regarding these two subjects – the spike on the shield, the bent lines for the sail, the shape of the hull, the diagonal line of the rudder or oar - it would not even be necessary to line the images up like this. To the left of each black and white image (Keller's in vol. 4 of his catalog of the Cary Collection) is Bologna (BM number ending 39) and to the right Florence (BM ending 41).

The lack of dotted borders would be another clue, although not a reliable one unless we knew that the card had a back. (Florentine cards, you will recall, have dotted borders, the result of folding over the edges of the backs so as to glue the two parts together. But many decks exist without backs.) It does have backs, Keller says (vol. 2, p. 42), with the words “Alla Colomba” on the bottom – not to be confused with the “Colomba” of Florence. 

However, there also exist packs of the Bologna pattern and dotted backs, of which the other "in Firenze" deck from my section 2 exemplifies. Five of the seven cards have distinctively Bolognese characteristics, as can be seen by comparing its cards with a standard Bolognese deck such as BM 40 and the various Florentine versions, or at least those that are the most similar to those in the deck in question.

Since the Poverino itself is rather non-standard, it is probably worth comparing the seven cards with the more standard versions of the same cards. Here are the Correr for the first four and Gallica's Colomba for the last three.

It would be nice to see more cards of these "in Firenze" decks, but barring surprises, they, too, are of the Bolognese pattern. A pattern does not necessarily indicate the place made, as the TdM surely shows; what characterizes a pattern is the concurrence of numerous distinctive features.

You will have noticed another characteristic that seems to be shared by Florentine and not Bolognese decks, namely the upraised left wing of the bird on Papa IIII in Florence but not Bologna. The same is true of the Etruria's bird, even if that card is otherwise eccentric. 

For the final section of this essay, click on "older post" or "4. History," below. You can go back to previous sections by clicking on "newer post" or the relevant section number below. 1 and 2 are on the same web-page.