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[[File:Queen of Swords-Visconti.jpg|250px|left]]
[[File:Ishtar Akkadian seal.jpg|200px|left]]
The '''[[Visconti-Sforza Tarot]]''' is used collectively to refer to incomplete sets of approximately 15 [[Tarot]] decks from the middle of the 15th century, now located in various museums, libraries, and private collections around the world.
'''[[Ishtar]]''' is the ancient goddess of love, war, and fertility worshipped in the Akkadian Empire, by the Babylonians, and Assyrians. She was originally worshipped in Sumer as Inanna. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine law, and political power. Her primary title was "the Queen of [[Heaven]]."


No complete deck has survived; rather, some collections boast a few face cards, while some consist of a single card. They are the oldest surviving tarot cards and date back to a period when tarot was still called ''Trionfi'' cards, and used for playing everyday card games. They were commissioned by Filippo Maria Visconti, the Duke of Milan, and by his successor and son-in-law Francesco Sforza. They had a significant impact on the visual composition, card numbering and interpretation of modern Tarot decks.
As early as the Uruk period (c. 4000–3100 bce), Inanna was already associated with the city of Uruk. During this period, the symbol of a ring-headed doorpost was closely associated with Inanna. The famous Uruk Vase (found in a deposit of [[cult]] objects of the Uruk III period) depicts a row of naked men carrying various objects, including bowls, vessels, and baskets of farm products, and bringing sheep and goats to a female figure facing the ruler. The female stands in front of Inanna's symbol of the two twisted reeds of the doorpost, while the male figure holds a box and stack of bowls, the later cuneiform sign signifying the ''En'', or high priest of the temple.


The surviving cards are of particular historical interest because of the beauty and detail of the design, which was often executed in precious materials and often reproduce members of the Visconti and Sforza families in period garments and settings. Consequently, the cards also offer a glimpse of nobiliary life in Renaissance Milan, which the Visconti called home since the 13th century.
'''([[Ishtar|Full Article...]])'''
'''([[Visconti-Sforza Tarot|Full Article...]])'''

Latest revision as of 16:24, 5 August 2025

Ishtar Akkadian seal.jpg

Ishtar is the ancient goddess of love, war, and fertility worshipped in the Akkadian Empire, by the Babylonians, and Assyrians. She was originally worshipped in Sumer as Inanna. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine law, and political power. Her primary title was "the Queen of Heaven."

As early as the Uruk period (c. 4000–3100 bce), Inanna was already associated with the city of Uruk. During this period, the symbol of a ring-headed doorpost was closely associated with Inanna. The famous Uruk Vase (found in a deposit of cult objects of the Uruk III period) depicts a row of naked men carrying various objects, including bowls, vessels, and baskets of farm products, and bringing sheep and goats to a female figure facing the ruler. The female stands in front of Inanna's symbol of the two twisted reeds of the doorpost, while the male figure holds a box and stack of bowls, the later cuneiform sign signifying the En, or high priest of the temple.

(Full Article...)