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Master of the E-Series Tarocchi

Saturn, plate 47 from Planets and Spheres

c. 1465
Engraving on paper
16.8 × 9.8 cm (6.6 × 3.9 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Saturn is part of a 50-card set known as the Tarocchi, which were not tarot cards but which probably served a didactic purpose as a memory game. The unknown artist worked in a strongly linear, dry style with a touch of the grotesque. These engravings emphasize the gods’ mythology over their astrological significance. The prints present curious details, such as Saturn devouring his particularly tiny children (who would survive and later defeat him).

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