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A closer look at one of the Marseille decks:
the Jean Dodal c. 1701, Lyon
Jean-Michel David
I suppose I should perhaps first begin with a more general
view as to what is a ‘Marseille-style’ deck,
especially as this one, as so many others, do not originate
from Marseille itself. The term ‘Marseille’ seems
to have been applied to the style of deck by Paul Marteau,
who in the early parts of the 20th century owned one of
the most successful card-making businesses in Europe, and
hence, at the time, the world. Since then, of course, it
should perhaps be mentioned that the style has become,
and remains, the most important and foundational style
of Tarot in the world.
There certainly were card-makers in Marseille itself producing
decks in this style. Basically, however, the style tends
to apply to decks that were originally made from woodcut
blocks, generally between the 17th and 18th century, and
mostly in the regions of Paris, Lyon, Avignon, and Marseille
regions.
There were, of course, other decks that had immense similarities.
For example the Besanzon style decks (except that they
substituted the Papess and Pope for Junon and Jupiter),
and other similar decks some more nothernly (around the
lowland countries) and more easternly and southernly (Switzerland
and Italy, for example).
If one looks at the earliest extant Marseille-style decks,
three stand out as designs that have come to form the foundation
of the style: the Noblet from Paris circa 1650, the Dodal
from Lyon circa 1701, and the Conver from Marseille circa
1760. Other decks between these dates also abound, and
I will shortly also mention another that is of significance.
Suffice it to say, at this stage, that I will focus on
neither the earlier nor the last of these three, but focus
exclusively on the Dodal and its cognates.
The Dodal is strange, in that with the sheer volume of
written information thereon, one would expect to find a
date in one of the usual places: either on the two of Coins,
or the two Cups. Yet neither has the detail. It is only
by other researchers having looked through records and
registers that Dodal appears to have been active in Lyons
between 1701 and 1715. From this, the deck has variously
been dated.
Another feature of the deck is that it was intended and
made for, clearly, an export market. One even wonders if
any of the decks were to be in any manner used locally,
and personally suspect that this is not the case - perhaps
from an agreement with another card-maker who was in some
relation with Jean Dodal, as I shall mention again a little
later.
Some have argued that the Marseille was designed solely
for card play. With this I cannot personally agree. Apart
from this being against the normal way of thinking and
reflecting on or about imagery at the time, it also seems
counter to the rich symbolic significance of many of the
cards. Also, and importantly, there are clues left in the
Dodal and in the Payen decks that suggest otherwise.
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The Fool - Jean Dodal Tarot
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The Fool - Jean Payen Tarot
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Since I have mentioned the Payen, allow me a few paragraphs
to also talk of this deck - or, rather, those decks. The
Payen and the Dodal decks are so similar that a number
amongst those interested have suggested that they were
carved by the same hand, or at least in the same workshop.
As far as I am aware, Jean-Claude Flornoy was the first
to put this in print in quite precise terms. When Robert
Mealing and I looked at the decks, however, what became
apparent is that even more precise information could be
suggested: Jean Payen was very likely, I would claim, the
person whose workshop designed the Jean Dodal.
There are a number of clues left. Obviously, the similarity
of construction of each of the cards: the images are so
similar that one is left with the impression that one was
the model for the other. Also, whereas Jean Payen was in
Avignon in the late 1600s, Dodal was in Lyon in the early
1700s, with Jean-Pierre Payen (possibly the descendent
of the elder Payen) again in Avignon in the early to mid
1700s (one of his decks is dated 1713).
But two striking features bring the possibility to mind.
The first is that the Dodal is ‘smothered’ with
inclusions which state that is is ‘made for export’ (‘Fait
pour L’Etrange’). Not only does this appear
in initials on the two Cups (F.P.E.), but it is on the
Valet of Batons, XI Strength, and XXI the World... as well
as, perhaps significantly, on each and every of the knights!
The second feature is one I have announced before: upon
the Moon card, below the right-hand dog’s tail, on
the dark green background above the waters, are clearly
the initials of Jean Payen (I.P.).
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The Moon - Jean Dodal Tarot
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The Moon - Jean Dodal Tarot - Detail
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Between the close similarity of the decks, and this ‘hidden’ inscription,
perhaps placed there for simple protection equivalent to
modern copyright, there is little doubt to my mind that
Jean Payen is creator of the Dodal deck, specifically made
for the export market.
The Dodal, however, has other interesting details worth
further reflection. One of these is the unexpected naming
of card II (called clearly ‘La Papesse’ in
the Payen decks): on the Dodal retitled ‘La Pances’.
Why, this still remains a mystery. A few years ago, I suggested
that perhaps (though unlikely in a deck made for export)
this was a play by homophony on the French for ‘reflection’ or ‘thought’ (‘PensÄe’).
The word used is not a well-used word in even early 18th
century France, though appearing on occasions. It simply
refers to the ‘belly’, meaning both ‘womb’,
and ‘stomach’ in the more everyday use of the
word. A kangaroo’s pounch, by the way, would also
have been referred to as ‘pances’.
Symbolically, it could refer from anything from announcing
that this card depicts Mariam imagery to Pope Joan - and
certainly avoiding the term ‘Papess’ on a deck
destined, perhaps, for northern Italian regions by wisely
altering a title that by that stage may cause more trade
difficulties than need be.
Let’s also go back to the Knights for another brief
investigation. It may be worth noting that in French the
title is not ‘Knight’, which by default implies
a particular status, but rather ‘Cavalier’.
This term has both the connotation and meaning of ‘knight’,
but also simply ‘horseman’, and would suggest
that the images be looked at with the latter meaning in
mind. Here, then, are travellers bringing their ware to
distant lands (whether these be merely five or five hundred
kilometres!) by means of the most common mode of transport
available to those who could afford such: the horse.
What absolutely clear card to accurately have thereon ‘made
for export’ or, more correctly, ‘made for the
foreign land’. But let me expand on this a little
to make more sense of it in a direction that may be unexpected.
For this, it may also be worth having a look at the earlier
court, that of the ‘Valet’. As I mentioned
in a recent post on Aeclectic’s tarotforum, I was
recently doing some research for a paper I am preparing
for a Masonic conference, and came across, without any
mention of cards, of course, that there were three ‘classes’ of
craftsmen in the thirteenth century: that of apprentice,
that of VALET, and that of master. The Valet was effectively
the craftsman who had completed his apprenticeship (and
I am using the male pronoun, even though I should specifically
mention that cases of women were also noted in some professions,
and in some others - though not cardmaking - there was
a predominance of women). Having completed an apprenticeship,
in many professions the option was still to continue to
work for the same Master... unless one was able to establish
oneself elsewhere - and here is where the horseman comes
in: an accomplished craftsman going out to the ‘etranger’ to
establish his own workshop.
Later, and certainly by the time we are considering, the
term ‘Valet’ was only more rarely used, being
replaced by that on ‘compagnon’, a further
intermediary position that required that the person who
had completed an apprenticeship make a ‘tour de France’ and
visit sufficient other worksites in order to gain sufficient
further knowledge from a variety of masters prior to establishing
himself as one. Again, a good description of the ‘horseman’.
In the building arts, whether carpenter or mason, there
were many sites and a masonic network which has since,
of course, also been well researched due principally to
its Freemasonic connection. In the world of the cardmaker,
however, there simply has not been the equivalent research
undertaken. Yet snippets of suggestive and important information
is there.
For example, and of high significance, is an association
formed, according to Amberlain in Le Martinisme (1946)
(and others before him, by the way), during the early Renaissance, ‘bringing
together apprentices, compagnons and masters from guilds
connected with books, which included librarians, engravers,
stationers, book-binders, illustrators, and card makers’.
Even more interestingly, the association, though spanning
from Paris to Venice and Toulouse, had its centre in Lyon.
Further, and here we shall come back to our Payen/Dodal
cards, the masters within this association incorporated
within their glyph or sigil the symbol ‘4’ -
usually incorporated with other pertinent detail.
In terms of our deck, it suddenly gives light to the consistent
usage of such a ‘4’ otherwise remaining inexplicable:
both the Payen and the Dodal decks have it, showing, to
my eyes, further evidence that not only was the master
carver part of this important society, but further made
it evident for those who could recognise the symbol for
what it was.
A deck, indeed, full of hidden mysteries, well worth further
and meticulous studies!
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