The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 20, 2026

A vertically oriented print in black ink depicts a crowned, bearded man seated on a crescent within a large vertical oval. He holds a staff in his raised hand on our left, while an eagle perches atop the oval frame. Below his feet, a small figure sits, and five armored figures lie outside the oval at the base. A diamond-patterned border frames the scene. At the bottom, text reads "IVPITER XXXXVI."

Jupiter (from the Tarocchi, series A: Firmaments of the Universe, #46)

before 1467

Master of the E-Series Tarocchi

(Italian, active 1460s)
Italy, Ferrara, 15th century
engraving
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1924.432.46
Catalogue raisonné: Hind E.I.46a
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The mandorla framing Mars recalls depictions of Christ in majesty in portals of Romanesque cathedrals.

Description

This engraving is part of the Tarocchi group marked with the letter “A”, and named Firmaments of the Universe. This series comprises the seven planets from the classical astronomy (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and the three celestial spheres that separate them from the Supreme Entity (Prima Causa) from which everything was originated.

Here, Iupiter (Jupiter) is personified as a full-length crowned male figure, turned to left. He is seated on a double rainbow and framed by a mandorla with an eagle at the top and a child at the bottom. Dead soldiers appear in the imaginary landscape surrounding Jupiter.
  • {{cite web|title=Jupiter (from the Tarocchi, series A: Firmaments of the Universe, #46)|url=false|author=Master of the E-Series Tarocchi|year=before 1467|access-date=20 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1924.432.46