About this artwork
These so-called tarot cards were probably used as teaching tools—pamphlets or sets of flashcards— for noblemen or students. They instilled the traditional hierarchies of society and philosophy in five ascending series: Ranks and Conditions of Men, Apollo and the Muses, Arts and Sciences, Planets and Spheres, and Genii and Virtues. Artists also reused figures from these engravings in their art. The tarrochi are sometimes found bound as books, reinforcing their educational content. The Sun, with its curious conjunction of the zodiac’s Scorpio and a falling child, comes from the series Planets and Spheres
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Master of the E-Series Tarocchi
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Title
- The Sun, plate 44 from Planets and Spheres
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Place
- Italy (Artist's nationality)
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Date
- 1460–1470
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Medium
- Engraving on paper
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Dimensions
- Sheet: 18.5 × 10.5 cm (7 5/16 × 4 3/16 in.); Plate: 18 × 10 cm (7 1/8 × 3 15/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
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Reference Number
- 1924.39.41
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/122271/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
