Varese is about 60 km NorthEast from Milan.
A second fresco - according the article - with card players has appeared in Azzate, in 9 km distance from Varese. Both pictures (likely) have natural context, cause the owner of the castello di Masnago, Giovanni Castiglioni, had been son of Guido Castiglioni and Antonia Bassi di Azzate.
A Masnago risiedeva Giovanni Castiglioni, il primo dei quattro figli di Guido (o Guidolo) Castiglioni e di Antonia Bassi di Azzate.
La presenza di tale famiglia a Masnago è documentata sin dal 1422, ma Giovanni vi risiedette, con certezza, negli anni dal 1441 al 1443 quando qui morì. Dopo questa data il castello fu presumibilmente abitato dalla moglie di Giovanni, Maria Lampugnani, sposata nel 1424, e dai suoi cinque figli.
from the Masnago Museum website ... http://www.comune.varese.it/si4web/altr ... storia.htm
And who is surprised, that Arona, a major place for the Borromeo fanily in the same time (we discussed this earlier ...
http://forum.tarothistory.com/viewtopic ... &start=100
... isn't far from Azzate? Arona - 27 km - Azzate - 9 km Varese
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=varese&oe ... CCkQ8gEwAA
A check for connections between Borromeo and Castiglioni family led to the result, that the not very big list of Borromeo-family-members married twice to persons with the name Castiglioni, once in 1531 and once before 1523. The name Borromeo was taken in 1431 and there was not time enough to build a large family.
http://genealogy.euweb.cz/italy/borromeo2.html
The Museum webpage relates the Masnago Castiglioni family to ...
Riscontri documentari confermano che il castello nel XV secolo era di proprietà della famiglia Castiglioni, originaria di Castiglione Olona
... Castiglione Olona. http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castiglione_Olona
Castiglione Olona has 13 km distance to Varese and 13 km to Azzate
The Castiglione family from there is written occasionally Castiglione and occasionally Castiglioni (this seems, if, only a slight difference). However, the relationship between the following persons might be very indirect.
A Pope from 1241 belonged to the family, Celestine IV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Celestine_IV
Cardinal Branda Castiglione (1350 - 1443) with strong connections to the Visconti family and cultural influence for the region. He visited Cologne and was sent to Hungary, developing relations to the later emperor Sigismondo. He visited Hungary again and participated at the council of Constance and later at that in Basel and that of Ferrara/Florence (already very, very old then). He had a Palazzo in Castiglione Olano
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branda_Castiglioni
Baldassare Castiglione, the famous courtier, who discussed card playing topics with Elisabetta Gonzaga
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldassarre_Castiglione
This is taken from room A, which is at the basement:
http://www.comune.varese.it/si4web/altr ... /salaA.htm
http://www.comune.varese.it/si4web/altr ... /salaB.htm
This shows the virtue and vice-room from room B, which is above room A.
Here are two other pictures
http://www.comune.varese.it/si4web/altr ... reschi.htm
The picture in Azzate, which is given in black-white and bad condition by the article ALSO shows a tent and ALSO a tree above it. In the tent two male persons are sitting and playing, a female stands behind the table (she hasn't this extraordinaire hat as the others). The ground is checkered. Maybe there's a further half person at the right.
[largeimg]http://a-tarot.eu/p/jan-11/azzate.jpg[/largeimg]
big image: http://a-tarot.eu/p/jan-11/azzate.jpg
This source gives the information, that the frescoes in the castello were discovered 1938 and some information about the cardinal.
http://books.google.com/books?id=XixojY ... se&f=false
***************
some further pictures:
http://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/ar ... D80-00080/
