Sola Busca Tarot Part 2 

You're right actually. Escargots are a deli dish in Venice!

I am obsessed with this deck! Knowing that it might have something in common or be influenced by local Italian quirks and historical, cultural cues... now I'm sad that I did not apply for Italian studies - I'm starting French soon! I could write my thesis about this deck. Fascinating!

these are amazing observations!!! thank you so much, just ordered a few books on the Sola Busca, so perfect timing ❤

This deck hit me in a dream scape, Ive been working on a video script tp film it. Your series of the deck has been fun

Hello Marilyn, thank you for exploring the sola busca tarot, it's very interesting! Personaly, when I think of Postumo it more makes me think of an heritage, something that stays after the death. And the torch or sword makes me believe the character is pledging allegiance or lighting his torch on the altar of his ancestors. This card is numbered 2 wich can be relied then with "la papesse" and the book on her lap. The card with the globe is probably like you said "the world" card for it really looks like the one in italian first known tarots, and that card is often referenced as a representation of the coming of the new Jerusalem after the final judgement, if so its name in the sola busca makes sense to me. Would love to share your views on it. Sorry about my english, I'm french and doing my best. Best regards.

Yes! So cool! The alignment of those first cards is hilarious! MARIO in Venetian means "groom" and LENPIO could be like "L'enpio" meaning "the impious". The bridegroom would have easily been a target for envy, and who better to cast envy than the Impious impicatto, the Hanged man? The object CATULO is holding is called a Foliot, it was a device used in early clocks that oscillates back and forth to set the beat of the seconds. It was later replaced with the invention of the pendulum. Is CATULO is play on OSCILATE? Is there a sort of sexual euphenism with the back and forth motion of the Foliot? The "snail" helmets I think are just like the ram's horns, vines, or even animal tails as design elements that show up in many ancient and Renaissance helmet designs. The helmets of Filipio Negroli are a great rabbit hole to go down. They are dated later than the Sola Busca, but show how classicism enfluenced contemporary design in the Renaissance. And of cource, the Sola Busca is solidly in the classicising genre of art! I don't really have a way to do any kind of video collab right now as I live out in the country with really bad signal but It's something I will think about!

btw Mary Beard has some interesting documentaries on Romans and Ancient Rome (including emperors) :)

Okay, I just looked into a book on the deck. I've noticed that all the majors seem to be based on famous Roman and Ancient rulers. Nebuchadnezzar (that's the last card!) was also known for being really scientifically forward. Didn't he also go mad in some biblical story? So much to research...

Unsure if you have identified the Devil card yet, but Tauro makes me think of Taurus, but I know a similar word for bull in Spanish… I also know that devil for pagans was a horned God, which would be like a deity with horns like a bull. Or it links to Taurus. Mario could be Mars or related to Aries. Since Aries ruling Mars… Or there a loss in translation or something else that was true centuries ago, is interpreted as something else now… Does look like a story told lining the deck in order.