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The C series of the Tarocchi del Mantegna, the central one in the progression, depicts the arts and sciences. These cards do not directly correspond to anything found in the tarot. The Tarocchi del Mantegna, on the other hand, is completely lacking the "dark cards" (Traitor, Death, Devil, Fire) that occur near the middle of the tarot sequence. The difference suggests a profound difference in purpose and philosophical orientation between the two systems. The Tarocchi del Mantegna is intellectual, pedagogic, and idealistic. As one ascends the sequence, one approaches God, and so each card is not only more powerful, but also more noble and good, than the cards that precede it. The tarot, with its roots in popular culture, is less remote from the forces--some of them terrifying--that dominate real life. Since it is almost certain that the tarot came first, we can regard the Tarocchi del Mantegna as an effort to reshape the allegorical cosmos of the tarot into a form more philosophically erudite and morally instructive.
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First come the subjects of the trivium, the first level of education in medieval society. These are grammar, rhetoric, and logic (often called dialectics). By mastering these subjects, the student learns to reason verbally. This was considered a necessary prerequisite to any of the more advanced studies.
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After completing the studies of the trivium, the promising student might move on to the quadrivium of geometry, arithmetic, music, and astronomy (or astrology; the two were not distinguished until later in history). It might surprise modern people to find music amongst these mathematical and scientific subjects. Music was considered a high intellectual pursuit in the Pythagorean and Platonic traditions; the mathematical relationships underlying musical harmony were thought to reflect the underlying plan of the cosmos. In presenting the quadrivium, the Tarocchi del Mantegna makes an interesting departure from custom: astrology is separated from the other subjects and raised to a higher rank (29 instead of the expected 27). Plato regarded astronomy as the highest of human studies, having as its subject the contemplation of the divine perfection of the heavens.
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The remaining three cards depict poetry, philosophy, and theology. Philosophy, astrology, and theology are the three highest ranking cards in the series, and also a good summary of the whole project that the cards represent. We see in the Tarocchi del Mantegna a plan of the cosmos, but one rich in philosophical content and theological import. The cards depict a very structured universe, one in which the realm of ideas serves as an intermediary between humanity and God. By elevating one's thoughts through these noblest of studies, one approaches the divine intellect and gains a deeper understanding of the cosmos.
