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VERSION 2.0 IN PROGRESS

Temporary, for editorial feedback only - please do not bookmark or download

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Queen of Cups
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A beautiful blonde Queen stands at a table in a gilt gown with ornate red and gilt wallpaper behind her. She holds a book and quill. On the table is a basket of doves, a cup of water with a glass decanter and a scorpion.

My Interpretation: A warm, loving woman. Maternal and nurturing. Gentle, insightful and considerate of the needs of others. Loyal, honest and completely trustworthy. She can change easily to blend in with her surroundings - perhaps a little too much, as she does not often assert her own personality or opinions. She is creative, and a lover of art and poetry. Represents the Zodiac sign of Scorpio. (Reversed: A woman of few morals, willing to use others for her own ends. She is untrustworthy and fickle).

Edit notes to self: Different to v1.0 card as I've added more symbolism to assist readers (and the old Queen wasn't as pretty). This card is different to the Rider-Waite card, although hopefully still easily recognisable as the Queen and the Cup are fairly obvious. The bottle and water in the cup indicate the element for the suit. Still to do - pretty happy with it.

Sources:

Base Pic: Simone Martini, Italian painter, Sienese school (b. 1280/85, Siena, d. 1344, Avignon); Polyptych of Santa Caterina (Pisa Polyptych) 1319 Tempera on wood, 195 x 340 cm Museo Nazionale di San Matteo, Pisa.

Red and Gilt Wallpaper: Domenico Veneziano, Italian painter, Florentine school (b. cca. 1410, Venezia ?, d. 1461, Firenze ?); Madonna and Child 1435-37 Wood, 86 x 61 cm Berenson Collection, Florence.

Bench: Giovanni Bellini, Italian painter, Venetian school (b. cca. 1426, Venezia, d. 1516, Venezia); Madonna with Child 1450-55 Tempera on wood, 47 x 31,5 cm Civico Museo Malaspina, Pavia.

Scorpion: Limbourg Brothers (Herman, Jean, Paul), Flemish painters (b. 1370-80, Nijmegen, d. 1416, Nijmegen); Les très riches heures du Duc de Berry: Novembre (November) 1412-16 Illumination on vellum, 22.5 x 13.6 cm Musée Condé, Chantilly.

Glass Bottle: Domenico Ghirlandaio, Italian painter, Florentine school (b. 1449, Firenze, d. 1494, Firenze); Last Supper 1480 Fresco, 400 x 880 cm Ognissanti, Florence.

Water in Cup: Dieric Bouts the Younger, Flemish painter (b. cca. 1448, Leuven, d. 1491, Leuven); The Pearl of Brabant - Saint Christopher c. 1470 Oil on wood, 61 x 113 cm Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

Cup: Master of the Housebook, German engraver/painter (active 1475-90); The Last Supper late 1400s Wood, Staatliche Museen, Berlin.

Cup Gilt Texture: 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.

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.