The Visconti Hanged Man is set on fire!

[A-M]

I have just finished my blog on the symbolism in the Hanged Man card, starting in the 15th century with the Visconti and the Estensi Hanged Man, moving on to the Tarot of Marseille, and finishing with the occultists of the Golden Dawn:
https://www.anne-marie.eu/en/tarot-12-the-hanged-man/

Did anyone notice that the Visconti Hanged Man is on fire?

[Nemia]

Where do you see fire? I'm sorry, I don't see it. I do see wounds and blood flowing from these wounds, but no flames.

[Merrick]

I can see some yellowish wisps on the figure’s shoulders, is that what you mean?

[A-M]

I can see some yellowish wisps on the figure’s shoulders, is that what you mean?

Yes, on the shoulders and on his lower belly are vague flames. Time has almost completely erased them, but according to tarot specialist Andrea Vitali the Hanged Man was called Appicato (man set on fire) in some (a minority, but still...!) documents.

Quote from my blog:

There are no names or numbers on the Visconti cards. In Italian documents of that time, the card is usually called Impiccato, Appeso (hanged man), or Traditore (traitor). However, there are also sources that refer to the card as Appicato, meaning ‘man set on fire’ (see Andrea Vitali ‘s essay). Appicato confirms the interpretation of a kundalini awakening.

[Nemia]

That's what I saw, too. It's blood flowing from the wounds - it must have been a strong red colour which has fallen off from the embossed gold. On the white shirt, it's still visible (there are wounds in the hip area, too).

I'm very curious now!

[Papageno]

Where do you see fire? I'm sorry, I don't see it. I do see wounds and blood flowing from these wounds, but no flames.

I just took a very careful look at the card, I believe this is from the U.S. Games, Pierpont-Morgan ed.

I don't see any flames either, however, I also don't see wounds.......although, in the case of this particular card, the effect is very appropriate.

Although many images of L'Appeso do feature vivid depictions of wounds, decapitations, draw/quartering, and other unpleasantries, I don't see evidence of this in the Pierpont Morgan or the other Visconti decks ie. Brambilla and Cary-Yale.

Stylistically, it also doesn't make sense that any of these 3 Visconti decks would have featured such gruesome imagery.
They were intended to be "pretty" decks.

The red looks more like staining from the inks that "bled" through the card over time.

Those cards are ancient and even certain pip cards appear black because the gold was mixed with either inferior alloys or the ratio was incorrect.
It's probably a combination of both factors.

Even modern gold will tarnish because of the alloys, depending on the manufacturer.

[A-M]

That's what I saw, too. It's blood flowing from the wounds - it must have been a strong red colour which has fallen off from the embossed gold. On the white shirt, it's still visible (there are wounds in the hip area, too).

There are no visible wounds though... I am sure it's (kundalini) fire.
Also blood doesn't flow this way, it would flow down in a straight line because of gravity, not 'dancing', like this is doing...

[A-M]

Where do you see fire? I'm sorry, I don't see it. I do see wounds and blood flowing from these wounds, but no flames.

I just took a very careful look at the card, I believe this is from the U.S. Games, Pierpont-Morgan ed.

I don't see any flames either, however, I also don't see wounds.......although, in the case of this particular card, the effect is very appropriate.

Although many images of L'Appeso do feature vivid depictions of wounds, decapitations, draw/quartering, and other unpleasantries, I don't see evidence of this in the Pierpont Morgan or the other Visconti decks ie. Brambilla and Cary-Yale.

Stylistically, it also doesn't make sense that any of these 3 Visconti decks would have featured such gruesome imagery.
They were intended to be "pretty" decks.

The red looks more like staining from the inks that "bled" through the card over time.

Those cards are ancient and even certain pip cards appear black because the gold was mixed with either inferior alloys or the ratio was incorrect.
It's probably a combination of both factors.

Even modern gold will tarnish because of the alloys, depending on the manufacturer.

That's possible, I have thought about that too, but the 'flames' are only on the upper body (where the kundalini flows), and symbolically it corresponds with the white blouse the man is wearing (purification).

[Charlie Brown]

I looked closely and thought it was blood prior to seeing that that was Nemia's hypothesis. If they were flames, they would be pointing upward regardless of his orientation, no? I might buy that as a 'mistake' coming from the semi-literate craftspeople of the woodblock Marseille decks but, for an artist working for the Szforas, I find it hard to believe in such a deviation.

[A-M]

I looked closely and thought it was blood prior to seeing that that was Nemia's hypothesis. If they were flames, they would be pointing upward regardless of his orientation, no? I might buy that as a 'mistake' coming from the semi-literate craftspeople of the woodblock Marseille decks but, for an artist working for the Szforas, I find it hard to believe in such a deviation.

Fire makes sense though if you look at how the symbolism evolved in the centuries that followed. The Estensi Hanged Man has red-brown hair in the form of a flame. Some Tarot de Marseille cards, and Oswald Wirth's Hanged man, have hair like little flames. The hair on the RWS card has the same form as the Estensi Tarot.
And it is a spiritual, inner fire that is directed toward the head/crown chakra, so for me the way the flames are now is correct.

Also the mirrored numbering of some TdM cards points to turning the card upside-down to get the meaning.

And there is additional symbolism on all historic Hanged Man cards that points to a kundalini awakening. Anyone interested is welcome to read my blog:
https://www.anne-marie.eu/en/tarot-12-the-hanged-man/

Thanks for this discussion!

[Nemia]

Do you have proof that kundalini fire and chakra theory were known in Renaissance Europe? I never heard of it and I'm an art historian specialized on medieval and Renaissance art. Is the cosmic serpent of Athanasius Kircher really a kundalini snake, or not a Western concept (where serpents also played a role)?

The reddish hair of the Hanged Man is imo based on the image of Judas, traditionally seen as red head (the Jew as archetypical traitor often appears with red hair).

To me, this guy looks like one who's being punished as a traitor, and I'm not alone in that theory.

I see the spots on his clothes as blood flowing. You can see that the red colour didn't stick to the embossed gold leaf in the background.

I remember that until Baroque, artists had problems with painting flowing blood realistically. Artemisia Gentileschi asked Galileo Galilei how to paint the blood pulsating from a torn artery for her Judith painting, and her later versions are much better than the earlier.

I'm sorry to rain on any parade but I think you don't have enough evidence for either the flames or the kundalini fire theory. Even in Kircher, the serpent was not associated with fire but with the ascension through the planets ("snake and ladder" ) If you create a new tarot card or write a book bout the deeper meanings attached to the Hanged Man, then you can bring on these associations, but you can't project them on a historical card without solid proof.

ETA: Of course you actually can, sorry for my too-strong language. It's your interpretation, and everybody has the right to project anything they want onto the cards.

[Charlie Brown]

Can we please try and avoid absolutist language such as what people can and can't do. We all have our own perspectives and methodologies and the ultimate benefit they bring to our work likely doesn't go in a straight path. That being said, I think Nemia raises some important questions if you're trying to claim that the tarot directly expresses the things you say rather than the more open claim that the tarot runs in parallel with other spiritual tradition(s). The latter claim would, I think, support the notion of some omni-spirituality common to multiple traditions.

[Papageno]

Putting theological considerations aside…..

after looking more carefully at the enlarged picture provided by Nemia, I can definitely see “rivulets” or “flows” that run symmetrically on the armpit/shoulder area of the Hanged Man.

There are two such designs that mirror each other on both sides of the Hanged Man, and on each side, the spacing between each “rivulet” is carefully measured and spaced.
The spacing and visual symmetry are definitely not haphazard.

The total number of “rivulets” on the upper body is 4.

On the lower torso and upper leg portion of this picture, we see the same “rivulets”.
There are 5 “rivulets” on each side of the lower torso, that (again) clearly mirror each other, and the elements of spacing and symmetry are clearly evidenced.

The placement of each “rivulet” corresponding to the placement of the suggested wound is precise on each side.

The total number of “rivulets” on the lower torso is 10.

The “rivulets” are the “yellowish wisps” that Merrick was referring to.

This is an amazing revelation, I never would have seen this before.
The Pierpont-Morgan Visconti, Hanged Man is definitely “wounded” and “bleeding”.

It's really a pity that those impressive-looking booklets, provided by the publishers don't provide more in-depth and substantial information instead of always filling valuable pages with those "meanings and spreads".

[Nemia]

Okay, sorry, of course one can do whatever one likes, I'm a bit too sharp in those matters I hope you forgive my tone, I don't want to delete it and fake the past, but please don't take it the wrong way, it was just written in the passion of argument.

[Charlie Brown]

The total number of “rivulets” on the lower torso is 10.

I notice you take great pains to count the specific number of rivulets. Do you see any greater significance in the quantity?

[A-M]

Do you have proof that kundalini fire and chakra theory were known in Renaissance Europe? I never heard of it and I'm an art historian specialized on medieval and Renaissance art. Is the cosmic serpent of Athanasius Kircher really a kundalini snake, or not a Western concept (where serpents also played a role)?

There is kundalini symbolism on almost all historic tarot cards,on alchemy emblems and also in renaissance art. Proving it on a forum is very time consuming. I would have to come with many examples and documents. I will post examples every now and then on this forum and you either resonate with it or not.

For now, I will reply with the next card of the major arcana, that I am working on now. The Death card of the Visconti-Sforza.
Death is holding a bow that has the shape of twice the spine, implying a mystical death (death of the ego) as a result of the kundalini energy.
The flying ribbons are the two polar energy channels that merge in the head during an awakening.

BTW They probably did not call it kundalini, but Mercury, Azoth or Sophia, amongst others.

[A-M]

This dicussion is giving me new insights... I realize, looking at the card again, that the row of buttons on the blouse of the Hanged Man is refering to his spine...!

I am adding this to my blog, thanks again everybody! <3

[Papageno]

I notice you take great pains to count the specific number of rivulets. Do you see any greater significance in the quantity?

The total number of rivulets is 14.

We might let our imaginations run wild and suggest that this was the artisan's attempt to depict the Hanged Man's progression towards Temperance. This is pure conjecture of course.

However, given the subject matter and the machinations of a truly clever artistic mind and temperament, this isn't completely outside the realm of possibilities. For my own part though, nobody will ever convince me that those "wounds" and "rivulets" were not deliberate visual elements.
The inclusion of every detail in the creation of these decks was carefully considered, deliberate and exacting.

As you yourself noted, these cards were not crafted by ".....the semi-literate craftspeople of the woodblock Marseille decks".
No, they were created by ".....an artist working for the Szforas"

Even apprenticeships back then were severe and not easy to come by.

Actually, these cards must have been crafted by various artisans of high rank, illustrators, printers, gold and silversmiths, papermakers, ink and pigment makers, etc.

Getting back to the number 14, human beings tend to be a superstitious lot.
It's been suggested that certain cards in extant Tarot decks were deliberately "excluded", "put aside" or maybe even discarded because they were considered unlucky, hence they are now "missing".

Is the Hanged Man in this scenario journeying towards Temperance or did the illustrator mean to suggest that the Hanged Man was undergoing an "alchemical" transformation, or is this simply a reflection of the political realities of that time?

If we consider the latter, this might actually make more sense, the noble families all had legacies of war, shifting allegiances, territorial rivalries, and political marriages.
I suggested earlier that these were meant to be "pretty" cards, discounting any possibility of an actual portrayal of bloodshed, but then again, consider the times and consider for whom these cards were made. I doubt anybody, even noble ladies, were that squeamish.

[Diana]

I heard a nice definition of kundalini earlier today. "The centering of wisdom". And they followed up by reminding us that the kundalini is always in movement.

[KoyDeli]

Yes, on the shoulders and on his lower belly are vague flames. Time has almost completely erased them, but according to tarot specialist Andrea Vitali the Hanged Man was called Appicato (man set on fire) in some (a minority, but still...!) documents.

Quote from my blog:

There are no names or numbers on the Visconti cards. In Italian documents of that time, the card is usually called Impiccato, Appeso (hanged man), or Traditore (traitor). However, there are also sources that refer to the card as Appicato, meaning ‘man set on fire’ (see Andrea Vitali ‘s essay). Appicato confirms the interpretation of a kundalini awakening.

I can't see any flames myself. Also note, Appicato doesn't mean 'man set on fire', it means 'Hanged [man]'. I think that maybe someone has possibly confused Appiccato with Appiciare - to kindle, inflame (which is similar also to appiccare, also meaning to hang, to fasten).

Impiccato, Appeso and Appiccato are all synonyms for 'hanged man'

[Appiccato could also be read as the past participle of appiccare too I suppose, a verb meaning set [something in the past] e.g.,

Sapete chi ha appiccato l'incendio?
Do you know who set the fire?

Chi ha appiccato il fuoco?
Who set the fire?

Ho appiccato io il fuoco, l'altra sera.
I set the fire last night.

However the context in which it is used [Folengo's Sonnet] makes it clear it is being used in the sense of 'Hanged Man'.

[A-M]

Also note, Appicato doesn't mean 'man set on fire', it means 'Hanged [man]'. I think that maybe someone has possibly confused Appiccato with Appiciare - to kindle, inflame (which is similar also to appiccare, also meaning to hang, to fasten).

Impiccato, Appeso and Appiccato are all synonyms for 'hanged man'

Thanks for this information. I assumed Andrea Vitali knew what he was saying since he is Italian and a tarot expert... I did not expect him to be wrong, I'll double check next time!

http://www.letarot.it/page.aspx?id=124&lng=ENG
...In the Sermones de ludo cum aliis, our man is called “lo imphicato”, a term which we find, with a lexical variant, in Folengo and Garzoni, who call him the “Appicato” (man set on fire) and the “Impiccato” (hanged or choked man). In other 16th century documents, we find him called “the traitor”.

[Papageno]

Respectfully, I suggest that the reference to "flames" to be metaphorical in nature.

I would not say that Andrea Vitali nor the translator of the text, Michael S. Howard are in-correct.
The overall body of work seems perfectly grounded.

Book: "The Tarot", Richard Cavendish, 1975:

"The Hanged Man has been connected with both Odin and Christ as examples of a god being sacrificed to himself to recover something hidden or lost."

hence, the wounds, and in this case, considering that we are referring to the Pierpont-Morgan Visconti deck (Northern Italian origin), a Christ figure.

[KoyDeli]

The title of Appicato appears in the sonnet of Folengo, 1546.

Here it is to put it in some context.

To understand the poem you need to understand a little of the situation at the time to which Folengo is referring. The Pope was in alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor (Eagle) against the King of France [Lily], and while Christendom was in discord, fighting itself, the Turks [Moon] were gaining ground in Europe. Because of the internal discord those that were willing and able to take up arms against the Turks [Marcin = Venice = those willing to fight the Turks] were left hanging. The original is below the translation. I have highlighted those words that relate to the trump of the Hanged Man in each stanza.

TheTriumphs of Falcone:

Moon, Hanged-Man, Pope, Emperor, Popesse

Dear Europe, when will that part of you
owned by the Treacherous Turks,
be returned by the Pope or Emperor,
who hold the keys of Fortune in their hands?

Alas, the TRAITEROUS and importunate have placed
the summit of Peter’s honour (gloss: The Popesse is made Fortune)
in the hands of a Woman, and set Imperial fury
Only against the lily, and not the Moon.

If the Pope were not a Popesse,
who holds Marcin SUSPENDED by the foot,
I’d see the Moon in the Eagle’s grasp.

But these popes and emperors of mine
create a furore, wherefore my Papesse makes
the Moon to shine, and I want to HANG myself.

Original:

LUNA, APPICCATO, PAPA, IMPERATORE, PAPESSA

Europa mia, quando fia mai che l'una
parte di te, c'ha il turco traditore,
rinfràncati lo Papa o Imperatore,
mentre han le chiavi in man, per lor fortuna?

Aimè! la traditrice ed importuna
ripose in man di donna il summo onore (Fortuna fatta Papessa.)
di Piero e tiene l'imperial furore
sol contra il giglio e non contra la Luna.

Che se 'l papa non fusse una Papessa
che per un piè Marcin sospeso tiene,
la Luna in griffo a l'aquila vedrei.

Ma questi papi o imperatori miei
fan si, che mia Papessa far si viene
la Luna,* e vo' appiccarmi da me stessa.

*Note: far si viene la Luna means 'make the moon shine brighter', but was also used idiomatically to mean 'create a furore'. Here of course it also means figuratively the growing strength of the Ottoman Turks, the Light of which Empire had encroached into parts of Europe.

[KoyDeli]

Also note, Appicato doesn't mean 'man set on fire', it means 'Hanged [man]'. I think that maybe someone has possibly confused Appiccato with Appiciare - to kindle, inflame (which is similar also to appiccare, also meaning to hang, to fasten).

Impiccato, Appeso and Appiccato are all synonyms for 'hanged man'

Thanks for this information. I assumed Andrea Vitali knew what he was saying since he is Italian and a tarot expert... I did not expect him to be wrong, I'll double check next time!

http://www.letarot.it/page.aspx?id=124&lng=ENG
...In the Sermones de ludo cum aliis, our man is called “lo imphicato”, a term which we find, with a lexical variant, in Folengo and Garzoni, who call him the “Appicato” (man set on fire) and the “Impiccato” (hanged or choked man). In other 16th century documents, we find him called “the traitor”.

The bit in brackets that says (man set on fire) is Michael's gloss, or rather misinterpretation of the word Appicato, there is nothing about a 'man set on fire' in Vitali's original. Michael has done a great job but is not an Italian speaker, and occasionally makes mistakes, as do I {and I have often gone to Michael for help and corrections with my own translations - he helped me a great deal for example with my translations of Gebelin and Mellet, which are available over at the Tarot History Forum}. From what I understand he relied on Google translate for much of the translations, as I do often, tidying them up and clarifying with Vitali any areas he was unsure about.

Vitali's original has:

"Nel Sermones de ludo cum aliis il nostro uomo è chiamato “lo imphicato*”, termine che ritroviamo con una variante lessicale nel Folengo e nel Garzoni che lo menzionano quale “Appicato” e “Impiccato”."

[In the "Sermones de ludo cum aliis" our man is called "lo imphicato*", a term we find with a lexical variant in Folengo and Garzoni which mention him as "Appicato" and "Impiccato".]

As Vitali's says, Imphicato [sic*], Appicato and Impiccato are lexical variants, no mention of Appicato meaning 'man set on fire', that wouldn't make it a lexigraphical variant [or that is to say, synonyms of words meaning 'hanged man'], but make it a word with an entirely different meaning.

Here, for example, entries from a French-Italian dictionary:

Estre Pendu, Essere appicato. [to be hanged]
Pendu, Appicato. - [hanged, hanging]
Pendement, ou gibet, Appiccamento, forca doue s'impicano li malfattori. [gallows, gibet, where criminals go to be hanged]
Vn pendereau, Huomo degno d'essere appicato. [a man who deserves to be hanged]

Dictionaire francois et italien. Par Pierre Canal D.M, Volume 1, 1603 edition.

*Note: in the "Sermones de ludo cum aliis" it is spelt 'lo impichato' [hanged man], not 'imphicato'. Garzoni's 'Impiccato' is a spelling variant of the same word. Impiccato and Appicato are synonyms, both meaning hanged / hanging.

Thanks for bringing to notice this little error in Mike's translation. I have let him know so that, if he agrees with me, he can correct it.