I may have just solved the puzzle of the the painting “The Fortune-Teller” by Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533). It was painted in 1508 when Lucas was only fourteen, marking him as one of the great painters of the age. This work is also considered to be the first “genre painting” that depicts everyday events in ordinary life. If what is shown is truly fortune-telling with cards then it is one of the earliest records of cards being used in this way (see Origins of Playing Card Divination).
I believe the cards in this picture do represent the many turns of fortune, but it may be more of a metaphor than an actual card reading. Still, we know from research by Ross Caldwell that by 1450 playing cards were used in Spain for fortune-telling “puédense echar suertes en ellos á quién más ama cada uno, e á quién quiere más et por otras muchas et diversas maneras (“one can cast lots [tell fortunes] with them to know who each one loves most and who is most desired and by many other and diverse ways.”) And, as we will see, both of the main characters in the painting married into the Spanish royal family and spent time there.
The central woman is, most likely, Margarethe (Margaret) of Austria and Savoy (1480-1530) (see also here), born in Flanders, she was daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy. Her step-mother was Bianca Maria Sforza, daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, by his second wife, Bona of Savoy, and granddaughter of Bianca Maria Visconti (m. Francesco Sforza) for whom the Visconti-Sforza Tarot was made.
At three years of age Margarethe was betrothed to the Dauphin of France (later, Charles VIII), but at ten was returned to her family when he married someone else. In 1497, at seventeen, she and her brother, Philip ‘the Handsome’ (Archduke of Austria, ruler of Burgundy and the Netherlands, and in line to become Holy Roman Emperor), were married off in a double alliance to the Infante Juan and Infanta Juana, children of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile (who sent Columbus to America). (Pictures below are of Philip and Margarethe.)
The Infante Juan died six months later and Margarethe’s child was stillborn. Margarethe was then married to Philibert (Phillip) of Savoy with whom she was very happy, but he died three years later. (He, by the way, actively supported the Milanese cause of the Sforzas against the French until offered a bribe by the French that he couldn’t refuse.) So, by the age of twenty-four she had already had a betrothal broken by France’s Charles VIII, lost a child, and was the widow of both the Infante Juan of Spain as well as of her much loved Philibert. Although her family tried to entice her into a marriage with Henry VII of England, she vowed never to remarry and took the motto: FORTUNE . INFORTUNE . FORT.UNE that has been translated as “Fortune, misfortune, and one strong to meet them.” I see it as both a reminder of her sad story and her claiming of the strength (forte) that such adversity had brought her.
Meanwhile, in 1506, Margarethe’s beloved brother, Philip the Handsome, was named King of Spain, but he died that same year, his son becoming the next King of Spain (Carlos I) and eventually Holy Roman Emperor (Charles V). In 1507 Margarethe was named governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, in place of her brother, and guardian of his seven-year-old son. She went on to become a significant political figure and patron of the arts, negotiating treaties and continuing to rule the Netherlands at the behest of her father, Maximilian, and then her nephew.
There is a possibility that Lucas van Leyden’s 1508 painting commemorates Margarethe of Austria’s ascendancy to the governorship of the Netherlands in 1507, following the death of her brother, Philip the Handsome. The flower being exchanged (a “pink” signifying loyalty in love?) could represent the passing on of the governorship and their love for the people of the Netherlands who are pictured in the background witnessing the change-over. The daisy on the woman’s gown identifies her (a marguerite daisy). Philip the Handsome (portrait above left) wears a necklace and hat similar to those in “The Fortune Teller” where his doffed hat and sad eyes might illustrate his mortal leave-taking. The portrait on the right shows Margarethe in widow’s garb as she liked to be seen in the second half of her life. The Fool with his bauble (fool’s sceptre) may have been someone specific at the court or he may be a symbolic reminder of the foolishness of thinking that a high place and worldly honors will last. More people look at him than at anyone else. There are clearly three layers to the cards: Philip & Margarethe, the Fool and a lady-in-waiting(?), and a backdrop of commoners who may represent the people of the country who are unsure what is to become of them.
At least one other painting by van Leyden is said to show Margarethe’s involvement in political negotiations pictured as a card game (1525; see below). It is thought to refer to a agreement between Emperor Charles V (left) and Cardinal Wolsey (right) to form a secret alliance between Spain and England against Francis I of France. Margarethe is known to have been involved in these negotiations. This painting would therefore refer back to the 1508 one where her position as regent of the Netherlands was commemorated.
A nineteenth century etching based on the painting (the original etching is from Le Magasin pittoresque, 1840) is identified as “The Archduke of Austria Consulting a Fortune-Teller” when reproduced in Chambers‘ article on card reading. It has often been depicted as proof of early playing card divination. As we’ve seen, that may be too simplistic a view. However it is interesting that Philip the Handsome was Archduke of Austria (and his sister made Archduchess of Austria after him).
Here’s a couple more portraits of Margarethe. The one on the right has a similar neckline to the one in our painting (though slightly higher):
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[Special thanks to Huck Meyer, Rosanne, and Alexandra Nagel—all who offered pieces of the puzzle.]
Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the tarot world, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and reviews.
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November 15, 2009 at 8:04 pm
ferolhumphrey
As always, Mary, your scholarship and dedication to the Tarot are far beyond the norm and we all benefit, as does the history of Tarot available for future enthusiasts. This type of inquiry, collation, and interpretation is most unusual and I for one am very impressed and very grateful.
November 16, 2009 at 1:53 am
Alexandra Nagel
Mary, sorry, but I’m not convinced of your argumentation. For instance, there are two suggestions in this sentence: “The flower being exchanged (a “pink” signifying loyalty in love?) could represent the passing on of the governorship and their love for the people of the Netherlands who are pictured in the background witnessing the change-over”. 1. A pink ’signifying loyalty in love?’ – how common was that explanation in early 16th c Leyden? As far as I know, it was not common; a pink was signifying engagement between a man and a woman, or signifying what I called ‘christian love’. 2. The flower representing on the passing of governorship and love for the Dutch people – that to me is a very novel interpretation, one you not back up by other paintings in which something similar is envisioned. In the same line: you more or less indirectly explain the lower class dressed people as representing the Dutch people, but can you back this up with other paintings in which the same symbolism is used?
Two other sentences:
- “The daisy on the woman’s gown identifies her (a marguerite daisy).” The flowers of the corsage are as far as I know unidentified in the literature of art historians. When I saw the painting in Paris, I could not figure out which type of flowers were depicted for it’s too tiny to see. Right now and here they are turned into a ‘marguerite daisy’. In other words, this probalby is done in order to identify the woman as Margarethe of Austria.
- “Philip the Handsome (portrait above left) wears a necklace and hat similar to those in “The Fortune Teller”…” There are more paintings of men with hats and necklaces similar to the man doffing his hat on “The Fortune Teller”. The man on the painting is compared to Philip the Good ONLY. If you put a painting there of another man with a hat and necklace, it is equally possible to say that the man on the painting refers to another man. Certainly, there are more portraits of men with similar hats and necklaces, sometimes men holding a carnation (pink) between their fingers as they are betrothal paintings.
Other than that: To me, if the woman does refer to Margarethe of Austria, how to explain her rather open dress? In the other paintings of Margarethe of Austria available on the internet, her chest is never as low cut as here. Why would Lucas van Leyden have given this noble woman an ‘open’ kind of dress?
The painting of the woman playing cards with two men in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, is made after the original by Lucas van Leyden, and the museum itself informs that the explanation that you offer here is one of the interpretations possible: “Another vision is that of a struggle of two men for the love of a woman. The perfect and balanced composition, the interplay of lights and the precision of the drawing are its most outstanding features.” Offering the interpretation that you offer as the one and only one, is like making your interpretation of Lucas van Leyden 1508 painting fit. To me, it is not solid argumentation but reasoning to make a highly hypothetical idea look strong.
Hence I wonder, why can’t we live with the idea that it is impossible to figure out what Lucas van Leyden had in mind when he created this lovely picture in 1508?
November 16, 2009 at 7:10 am
Ross Caldwell
I find the interpretation as a political allegory very interesting, but I have not studied any of the interpretations, including Alexandra’s, so far. I like it because it involves playing cards, which would make it the earliest political allegory using a card game as the context that I know of.
However, like Alexandra, I am troubled by the “common” look of the woman, if we want her to be Margarethe of Austria.
Can anyone offer an interpretation of the secondary scene (which seemingly mimics the foreground scene), of the Fool offering something to the woman? Is it a plate? And if so, is it empty, and what does it mean for a Fool to be offering an empty plate?
November 16, 2009 at 2:58 pm
mkg
Alexandra & Ross –
I admit I get carried away and all the criticisms above are good ones.
The questions about the flowers are excellent. Alexandra has shown, in an article for the Playing Card Society, that carnations depicted betrothals in other 15th century Flemish paintings. So the picture could be nothing more than this. However I also found a reference to an older form of the word carnation as “coronation” (from Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery by Ad de Vries, published in Amsterdam, 1974).
The dress is more low cut than in Margarethe’s paintings, but not so much as to be impossible for a 14 year old boy painting a picture of a tragically romantic figure, beloved by all. He would only have had images of her when she was younger and not a widow to go on (I’ve added a couple.) The fur cuffs on both main figures mark them as of the upper classes and in great contrast to the men in the background (are the two slumming?). And, would a tavern harlot have been depicted wearing a cross and fur sleeves?
It’s also interesting that the 19th century woodcut identifies the man as “the Archduke of Austria,” which was one of Philip’s titles at the time of his death. Where did that assumption come from, I wonder.
It would help to see other paintings from the time of a man with that kind of hair and red hat who is identified as someone different than Philip. He is shown in the same red hat in at least one other painting.
The main question for me, of course, is whether or not this is cartomancy. There is no indication of anyone else playing, and there are no similar examples of a card game that don’t show other players and/or their cards that I know of until solitaire is invented about 300 years later.
The bit with the Fool is really intriguing and might open up the whole story. He’s the only person to whom others are looking – at least 4 of the 12 present. Alexandra suggested that the woman is offering him a cup (more like a saucer?) of wine but it’s hard to tell what is going on.
I welcome any more ideas.
November 16, 2009 at 7:45 pm
ferolhumphrey
The process of exploration, especially in group, is the fun of it for me.
November 16, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Alexandra Nagel
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianthus_caryophyllus:
“Some scholars believe that the name “carnation” comes from “coronation” or “corone” (flower garlands), as it was one of the flowers used in Greek ceremonial crowns. Others think the name stems from the Latin “caro” (genitive “carnis”) (flesh), which refers to the original colour of the flower, or incarnatio (incarnation), which refers to the incarnation of God made flesh.”
“Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance. According to a Christian legend, carnations first appeared on Earth as Jesus carried the Cross. The Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus’ plight, and carnations sprang up from where her tears fell. Thus the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother’s undying love.”
November 20, 2009 at 5:31 am
fahrusha
As a tarot reader and a holder of an M.F.A. in painting, I am fascinated by your interpretation, and impressed by your dedication to the subject. Thank you!
November 20, 2009 at 11:07 pm
mkg
My friend, tarot author, Susan Levitt, wrote to me:
“This body pose is the iconography of the Annunciation, but here the pink flower replaces the white lily, the secular flower not the spiritual flower from Archangel Gabriel.”
A secular annunciation! To me that fits with Margarethe’s acceptance of her charge as governor of the Netherlands (mother of her people) upon the death of her husband and brother rather than to another marriage and physical motherhood.
Of course it could just be a betrothal painting of some unknown persons.
November 23, 2009 at 11:52 am
Yaotl
Wow! After reading this entry, I realize this must be one of the best tarot blogs, encompassing not only Tarot itself, but other brnches of wisdom as History and Art! Just read all those detailes depicted in the paintings.
Great!
November 23, 2009 at 12:43 pm
mkg
Yaoti – Thank you. I always maintain that a serious, life-long study of tarot will yield a tremendous liberal arts education.
November 24, 2009 at 3:05 am
Ross Caldwell
I’ve so far avoided reading too much about this painting, trying to see for myself what I can see. I have Alexandra’s article, which is very thorough and provides an excellent color reproduction, which shows the frame it is in and thereby slightly more of the foreground of the painting. I believe the viewer is supposed to be the player on the “other” side – this side – of the table, and “I” have just played the 4 or 5 of Clubs (or Spades).
The eye goes to the face of the woman in the center first. Then it goes down to her bosom, and her pendant, which seems to have a stone in the middle, perhaps a sapphire. The eye then goes down to her left hand, holding a pair of cards, and it appears she has just played a four of diamonds (no, not hearts).
From that hand, I believe the composition now wants us to follow to the right hand and the gesture of the offering/receiving the carnation. This leads to a brief regard of the look the man is giving her, and then immediately the eye is drawn to the doffed cap, which points to the face of the fool.
So our eye has followed the course of what looks like a capital G if you could draw it over the painting in arrows. The fool’s head is right over the central woman’s, and now we look at the fool.
He is looking intently at a woman who appears slightly distracted, but is offering him what you can tell in large image is a shallow cup of liquid, presumably wine (pewter cup). So our eye has now made almost completed a circle.
Finally, our eye is drawn to an abrupt end in the half-hidden hand of the standing woman, where the fingers go behind the central woman’s back – we don’t know what the standing woman is holding or doing with that hand, but it ends in the first figure, thus completing a circle.
Now we go down the central figure’s left sleeve and begin the circle again.
So I think I see a circular motif, which suggests a wheel of Fortune reading (center woman is Fortune, fool at the top, red-capped man rising, woman on the left falling, or perhaps asking the fool for a favor (a stupid thing to do). At the very bottom is us, outside of the picture, the missing player in the game (only indicated by the half-card shown in the very foreground).
Looking more closely at the central woman, we see there is a hidden card under her right sleeve. It is very clear in Alexandra’s large reproduction, although if it has an identity, it is not evident. But it is evident that it is intentional, so the artist wanted to suggest hiddenness, perhaps deception. Is she deceiving the man she is giving the carnation to?
Now we have to interpret that gesture – is she giving or receiving? I say giving the carnation, as he is the one in the supplicating gesture and she is central, the position of authority in the picture. We note that she has a white and a pink carnation pinned to her left chest – is she of divided heart? Has she given her heart to one, but her hand to another?
Hard to say, but I haven’t been able to incorporate the jug into my interpretation yet.