The old man, wrapped in a robe decorated with grapevines and a coat of arms as signs of abundance and status, is sitting in the foreground. Two hounds are a clear indication of his status. He is a rich and wise man in his old age. He is gazing towards two people and a child, clearly a family, his successors. This scene has a strong sense of inheritance: the old generation is leaving its legacy for the younger generation to build on. The castle, the hounds and the wealth will be owned by people who perhaps had nothing to do with their acquisition. Here again we see an echo of the earlier cards in the suit. In the Nine of Pentacles we see an accomplished and successful person in her prime. But what now, with all that wealth? We can't just give it away; that is clearly suggested by the reappearance of the scales, which we see for the first time in the suit in the Six of Pentacles. The logical conclusion of this card is to build and to protect, and when the time comes, to give to someone who will build upon your achievement for the benefit of all. We see that the child's hand is already on one of the dogs. Inheritance can be knowledge or any kind of accomplishment. The metaphor of dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants is a good example of what this card is all about. This is at the core of the advancement of the human species. This essence is further accentuated by the arrangement of the pentacles in the form of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
On the card
An old man with a white beard sits in the foreground, wrapped in a richly patterned robe decorated with grapes and other emblems. Two white dogs stand near him, and a young child reaches out towards one of them.
A little further back, under a stone archway, stand a man and a woman, seemingly in conversation. The archway leads into a courtyard with buildings and towers beyond. On the arch are carved coats of arms, signs of a family line and its inherited status.
Ten pentacles are spread across the whole scene, arranged in a pattern that mirrors the ten spheres of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, linking the material world of the Pentacles to a deeper spiritual order.
The three generations, the old man, the couple and the child, together with the house and the faithful dogs, make this a picture of family, continuity and lasting wealth. It speaks of what is built over time and passed on: property, traditions, values and knowledge. The card describes security that extends beyond a single life, a foundation that the next generation will inherit and continue.
Upright
Ancestral, inheritance, prosperity, family ties, satisfaction through the work of those who came before you.
Reversed
Dissipation, financial problems, family quarrels over money, poor management.