Who painted Grammar (from the Tarocchi, series C: Liberal Arts, #21)?

Grammar (from the Tarocchi, series C: Liberal Arts, #21) was painted by Master of the E-Series Tarocchi in 1467.

Where can I see Grammar (from the Tarocchi, series C: Liberal Arts, #21)?

Grammar (from the Tarocchi, series C: Liberal Arts, #21) is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Grammar (from the Tarocchi, series C: Liberal Arts, #21)?

Grammar (from the Tarocchi, series C: Liberal Arts, #21) is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Grammar (from the Tarocchi, series C: Liberal Arts, #21)

Master of the E-Series Tarocchi , 1467

Grammar (from the Tarocchi, series C: Liberal Arts, #21) is a print by the Renaissance artist Master of the E-Series Tarocchi. It dates from 1467 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

The print depicts a standing female figure identified as Grammar, one of the allegorical personifications in the Tarocchi series C, which illustrates the liberal arts. She is shown in a simple interior, holding a book in her left hand and a rod‑like implement in her right, her gaze directed toward the viewer.

Subject & Meaning

In the medieval tradition, the liberal arts were divided into the Trivium—Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic—and the Quadrivium—Music, Geometry, Arithmetic, Astronomy. The Tarocchi set expands this scheme to ten disciplines by adding Poetry, Philosophy and Theology. Grammar, portrayed here, symbolizes the foundational skill of correct speech, a prerequisite for participation in civic life.

Technique & Style

The image is executed as an engraving, a printmaking method that allows fine line work and tonal variation. The figure’s drapery and the plain architectural backdrop are rendered with delicate hatching, emphasizing the calm, didactic atmosphere typical of late medieval allegorical prints.

History & Provenance

The Tarocchi cards were produced in the early sixteenth century for a learned audience, likely in Italy, and circulated as a portable visual encyclopedia of knowledge. This particular engraving belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection, where it is displayed alongside the other nine allegorical figures of the series.

Context

Allegorical representations of the liberal arts emerged in the late Middle Ages as visual shorthand for educational ideals. By personifying each discipline as a woman, artists linked intellectual pursuits to virtues associated with femininity, such as grace and nurturing instruction.