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VERSION 2.0 IN PROGRESS

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XII - the Hanged Man
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A man hangs upside-down from a crossbeam. One leg is crossed over the other, and despite his predicament he looks quite calm and impassive. The cross-beam from which he hangs is sprouting leaves, signifying that perhaps this is Attis, or the pagan Green Man.

My Interpretation: Trust that all will get what they deserve. Sacrifices may be necessary, and not all battles will be won. Some are not worth fighting, and are better off foregone. Self-control may be necessary in times ahead - you may need to bite your tongue and accept that others will get what they have coming to them, without need for you to intervene. (Reversed: A tendancy toward masochism and playing the martyr needlessly)

Edit notes to self: Changed from v1.0 pic to a more appropriately serene looking Hanged Man (my old one didn't look too happy about being hung, drawn & quartered). This card is similar to the Rider-Waite card, although I've been more direct about the older traditions of this card - the legend of Attis, and the later Christian version of Saint Sebastian. The cross on which the man hangs sprouts leaves, and he has an indifferent look on his face. I love this guy's underwear! Although I've only used three paintings to produce this picture, they were heavily manipulated and rearranged to produce the final work. Still to do - pretty happy with it.

Sources:

Base Pic: Antonello da Messina, Italian painter, Southern Italian school (b. cca. 1430, Messina, d 1479, Messina); St Sebastian 1476-77 Oil on canvas transferred from panel, 171 x 85.5 cm Gemäldegalerie, Dresden.

Velvety Hills and Leaves: Fra Angelico, Italian painter, Florentine school (b. cca. 1400, Vicchio nell Mugello, d. 1455, Roma); Deposition (Pala di Santa Trinita) 1437-40 Tempera on wood, 176 x 185 cm Museo di San Marco, Florence.

Cross Beam: Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), Flemish painter (b. cca. 1375, Valenciennes, d. 1444, Tournai); The Crucified Thief c. 1410 Oil on wood, 33 x 92.5 cm Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt.

Parchment Text Panel: Unknown Illuminators, England; The Aberdeen Bestiary (Aberdeen University Library MS 24), written and illuminated around 1200. Aberdeen University, Scotland.

Gilt Border: Conrad Witz, Swiss painter (b. cca 1400, Rottweil, d. cca. 1445, Basel); King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba 1435 Panel, 84 x 79 cm Staatliche Museen, Berlin.