WWPCM05115
information of Domenico Starna
(Roma):
It is one of the reproductions of Minchiate of 1725 used in card games in
Florence and in Toscana (Tuscany).
The first name was Ganellini or Germini, from the name Gemini the highest
added triumph. After,
the name becomes Minchiate, pronounced minckiate.
Common meaning. Minchiate (pronounced minkiate) comes from sicilian minchia,
male organ,
penis. In this case minchiate, in italian cazzate, means stupidities. Minchione, cazzone,
means
stupid. Minchiataro, cazzaro, is one who says stupidities, who tells lies. Minchionare is
used as to
mock.
Other possible meaning. Possible synonyms of minchia are verga, bastone, as
rod, baton. In this
case minchiate may mean (but not in sicilian) bastonate, colpi, cazzotti as blows with a
stick, hits. A
modern italian card game is Briscola. We say: I took a briscola, it means I took a blow, a
hit.
Sminchiare meant to invite the partner to play the highest card, as a hit.
Trionfi, Triumphs, Trumps, Germini, Minchiate, Tarocchi, Atouts, Briscole
have similar meaning
in card games, there is a group of cards which are the strongest.
The deck was played also out of Toscana, in Liguria and in other regions, but
they do not call it
with the name Minchiate, considered obscene. They call it Gallerini.
There are 40 numeral cards, 16 court cards but only the K are valuable cards,
40 Triumphs called
Tarocchi, and the Matto (Fool), in total 97 cards. In the game of 4 players, each player
has 21 cards,
but the remaining valuable cards are taken, rubate (robbed), by the last player and the
dealer.
The Triumphs follow rather the ordering of Bologna Tarot, with 3 cardinal
virtues grouped in
a low position, and a reversed ranking of the World and Judgement. They have an order
different
from Piemontese and Marseille Tarot. Only 5 have the same number: Fool, 1 Magician, 8
Justice,
12 Hanged, 13 Death. Four other have the same number of Bolognese Tarot: 5 Love, 11 Time,
14 Devil, 15 Lightning. In the starkest Triumph, Trombe (Trumpets), there is a coat of
arms of the
Medici Family whit 5 red balls and 1 blue ball, originally it had many more balls even 12
balls.
Florence was the capital of the Granducato di Toscana until 1860. In this deck the Triumph
Popess
is eliminated, the Pope is represented as other Emperor, but the first 5 Triumphs are
called always
the Popes or with their number (1 or Papa 1, 2 or Papa 2, ..., 5 or Papa 5). The Triumphs
from 6 to
35 are called with their number, but some are called also with their names: 11 Il Gobbo,
12
L'Impiccato, 14 Il Diavolo, 15 La Casa del Diavolo. Twenty Triumphs, numbered from XVI to
XXXV, are added to the traditional: four Virtues, the 4 Elements and 12 Signs of the
Zodiac, not in
usual order. The last 5 Triumphs, generally not numbered, named the Arie (Airs), are
called only
with their names, each worths 10 points. Half of Triumphs are valuable cards. 1,
10, 13, 20, 28
(Capricorn with solstice), the zodiac signs from 30 to 35 called Sopratrenta (Overthirty)
and the
Matto, as each King, worth each 5 points. Each of the other four Papi (Popes) worths 3
points. The
29 worths 5 points only if it is in a regular Versicola, this is a sequence of cosecutive
valuable
cards, 28, 29 ... Trombe; another regular Versicola is with the Popes 1, 2 ... 5.
Similarly to Bolognese Tarot, there are additional points for little
combinations of cards, 3 or
more, called Versicole or Verzicole, at the start of the game for each player and at the
end for each
team. In latin versiculus means littte line. Versicola of the 13 (1, 13, 28) worths 15
points. Versicola
of the Fool (1, Matto, Trombe) worths 20. Versicola of the tens (1,10, 20, 30, Trombe)
worths 30.
Versicola of the K worths 20 with all four.
A valuable card taken from adversary team muore (dies), e ammazzata (is
killed), and its points are
additional points, in addition to count them at the end of the game. The Florentines use
strong words.
The player with the Matto gives to adversary a low card, they say cartaccia (bad card) or
carta ignobile (despicable card).
A valuable card is called carta nobile (noble card). In a written of the XVI Century there
is the sentence -
diventare il 28 di Germini - (to become the 28 of Germini), it means - diventare becco -
(to become cuckold).
The difference of taken cards number of 2 teams are counted points.
The Cavaliers are half men, half animals. The Cavalli (horses) of the Swords
and Batons are
centaurs, while the Cavallo of Cups is half-dragon and that of Coins half-lion. The Jacks
of Cups
and Coins are women.
The Tarocco Bolognese is still played, the Minchiate Fiorentine not anymore.
The game was
played from the XVI Century to the beginning of the XX Century. The only thing left from
Minchiate in Florence is the nickname Il Gobbo, The Hunchbacked, for the Triumph Time, now
used for the Jack in modern decks.
See the following decks:
- WWPCM05115/02 by Il Meneghello (1725);
- WWPCM05114
Minchiate Al Sole, Bologna 1790;
- http://www.unics.uni-hannover.de/rrzn/endebrock/coll/pages/i31.html deck Minchiate by factory Al Mondo of Bologna,
you see the view of Bologna in the Triumph Trumpets.
- WWPCM02057;
- WWPCM05113
by Il Meneghello (1820) with a leaflet;
- the Bolognese Tarocco WWPCM04910.
-----------------------
Triumphs with the corrispondence to the Piemontese (WWPCM02970) and Marseiille
Tarot
(italian)
(Piemontese)
- Il
Matto
The
Fool
0
I Papa 1, (Il
Bagatto)
Pope 1, (The
Magician)
1
II Papa 2,
(L'Imperatrice)
Pope 2, (The
Empress)
3
III Papa 3,
(L'Imperatore) Pope
3, (The
Emperor)
4
IV Papa 4, (Papa
Imperatore) Pope 4, (Pope Emperor)
V Papa 5,
(L'Amore)
Pope 5, (The
Love)
6
VI La
Temperanza
The Temperance
(Cardinal
Virtue)
14
VII La
Forza
The
Fortitude (Cardinal
Virtue)
11
VIII La
Giustizia
The
Justice (Cardinal
Virtue)
8
IX La Ruota della
Fortuna The
Wheel of
Fortune
10
X Il
Carro
The
Chariot
7
XI Il Gobbo, (Il
Tempo)
The Hunchback, (The
Time)
9
XII L'
Impiccato
The Hanged
Man
12
XIII La
Morte
The
Death
13
XIV Il
Diavolo
The
Devil
15
XV La Casa del Diavolo, (La Saetta) The Devil's House, (The
Lightning)
16
XVI La
Speranza
The
Hope (Theological
Virtue)
XVII La
Prudenza
The
Prudence (Cardinal
Virtue)
XVIII La
Fede
The
Faith (Theological
Virtue)
XIX La
Carita
The
Charity (Theological
Virtue)
XX Il
Fuoco
The
Fire (The
4 Elements start)
XXI L'Acqua
The Water
XXII La
Terra
The Earth
XXIII
L'Aria
The Air
XXIV
Bilancia
Libra
(7. Sign from 23 sept.)
XXV
Vergine
Virgo
(6. from 23
aug.)
XXVI
Scorpione
Scorpio
(8. from 23 oct.)
XXVII
Ariete
Aries
(1. from 21 march)
XXVIII
Capricorno
Capricorn
(10. from 22 dec. solstice)
XXIX
Sagittario
Sagittarius
(9. from 23 nov.)
XXX Cancro
Cancer
(4. from 22 jun. solstice)
XXI Pesci
Pisces
(12. from 19 feb.)
XXXII
Acquario
Aquarius
(11. from 21 jan.)
XXXIII
Leone
Leo
(5. from 23 jul.)
XXXIV Toro
Taurus
(2. from 21 apr.)
XXXV
Gemelli
Gemini
(3. from 22 may)
XXXVI La
Stella
The
Star
17
XXXVII La
Luna
The
Moon
18
XXXVIII Il
Sole
The
Sun
19
XXXIX Il
Mondo
The
World
21
XL Le Trombe, (Il
Giudizio) The Trumpets, (The
Judgement) 20