The Servant, plate two from The Ranks and Conditions of Men

Among the most perplexing early prints produced in Italy are the 50 engraved tarocchi (tarot) cards created in Ferrara in the mid-15th century. Although the prints are the shape and size of playing cards, they do not form a full tarot deck, and it is not known if they were really intended for use. The complete Tarocchi series is divided into five thematic groups: Ranks and Conditions of Man; Apollo and the Muses; Liberal Arts; Geniuses and Virtues; and Firmaments of the Universe.