Tarot Egyptien

Creator(s): G. Regamey, Haugard-Mauge

Date: 1890*, 1985
Country: France
Publisher: Dusserre
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN:  
Type: Etteilla
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol.III, p. 587 








Notes:
This Etteilla  type deck was originally published by Delarue of Paris around the turn of the century. The tax stamp on the two of swords was valid from 1890 to 1917. The original title was 78 Tarots Egyptiens Grand Jeu de L'Oracle des Dames. A case for the deck in the British Museum indicates that the designer was G. Regamey and the lithographer was Haugard-Mauge.

The reprint was issued 1985 by Dusserre with a pink and white geometrical back design. It was a reproduction of a deck in the Bibliotheque Nationale De Paris

Aleph Tarot

Creator(s): Rosetta Woolf, Aleph Kamal
Date: 1994, 2006
Country: United Kingdom
Publisher: Adam McLean
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN: 
Type: Thoth
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol.IV, pp. 25,26







Notes:
This deck was printed in 1994 as an edition of 250 copies for the Musée Lilim in France. In Kaplan’s Encyclopedia it was called the Cathar Tarot and listed as unpublished . In 2006 Adam McLean obtained the remaining stock from the artist, reboxed the decks and sold them as No.9 in his Artwork Tarot Series.

The images for this Tarot were abstract watercolor paintings by Rosetta Woolf  based on the spiritual and cultural history of the Mediterranean and dedicated to the myth of Lilith and her children, known as the Lilim. The cards are a little longer ( 6.25 by 3.25 inches) than a standard size deck .

Le Tarot des Templiers

Creator(s): Willy Vassaux
Date: 1995, 1999
Country: France
Publisher: Dervy
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-2850-768637 
Type: Marseilles
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol.IV, pp. 83,84






Notes:
Willy Vassaux is  a French cartoonist, well known for his comic book histories of the battles of World War II. This deck was created in 1995 and first named  Tarot des Grands Inities du Moyen Age (Tarot of the Great Initiates of the Middle Ages). It was mentioned in Kaplan's Encyclopedia as an unpublished Tarot design. In 1999 it was published by Dervy as Le Tarot des Templiers (Tarot of the Templars).

It was rendered in pen and ink and has Kabbalistic references and other symbols worked into the figures and background. Trumps I through X are associated with their corresponding Sephiroth, indicated on small banners. Other Hebrew words are found on banners as well.

Card titles are in French. La Justice is VIII and La Force is XI.The pips are illustrated with suit emblems and ornate floral designs. Suits are Baton, d'Epee, Denier, and Coupe. The court cards consist of the Valet (Servant), Cavalier (Knight), Reyne (Queen) and Roy (King). The costumes and locations are probably more theatrical fantasy than historical fact. Heraldic crests have been added into many of the designs.

It was packaged as both a single deck (with no LWB) and a book and deck set (which includes a 160-page French only book by Jean-Louis Victor) . Mine is the single deck edition. Parts of the book are translated into English by Marc Filipas and can be found at pasteboardmasquerade.

El Tarot de los Templarios

Creator(s): Stefano Mayorca
Date: 2008
Country: Spain
Publisher: De Vecchi
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-84-315-3903-0 
Type: other
Reference: De Vecchi

 






 
Notes:
Stefano Mayorca is a writer, journalist, painter and illustrator, with an interest in paranormal phenomena and ancient religions.


The numbering of the cards is : Magician to World as 1 to 21, the Fool is 22, Justice is 8 and Strength is 11. The Minors are not numbered. The suits are sceptres associated with  earth , pentacles representing air, swords associated with fire and grails representing the element of water. The deck came in a robust flip-top cardboard box containing the deck and the Spanish only book.

El Tarot de los Druidas

Creator(s): Pierre Ripert, Severino Baraldi
Date: 2009
Country: Spain
Publisher: De Vecchi
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-84-315-4129-3 
Type: other
Reference: De Vecchi





 


Notes:
Pierre Ripert is a French author and journalist specializing in ancient history magazines. Severino Baraldi is a well known Italian comic illustrator and tarot artist. His true metier is the historical painting.

The numbering of the cards is : Magician to World as 1 to 21, the Fool is 22, Justice is 8 and Strength is 11.  The Minors are numbered 23 to 78 and have no suit signs. The Majors are associated with characters from celtic mythology and have no traditional titles.

The suits are Espadas (Swords) representing winter and the element of air, Copas (Cups) spring and the element of earth,  Bastos(Wands) summer and the element of fire and Oros (Coins) autumn and the element of water.

The cards are larger than usual ( 6 1/4" long and 3 1/4" wide). The packaging is typical De Vecchi, a  robust flip-top cardboard box containing the deck and the mini-book The book is Spanish only, but very informative. Pierre Ripert presents the Celtic society,  the Celtic pantheon and explains the Celtic Tree Alphabet

Tarot of the Journey to the Orient (Marco Polo Tarot)

Creator(s): Riccardo Minetti, Pietro Alligo, Severino Baraldi
Date: 2002
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-3898-755177  
Type: RWS
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol.IV, pp. 386, 389

Notes:
This deck features scenes and dress described by the Venetian explorer Marco Polo. Each of the Major Arcana has two scenes one scene to represent the East, and one to represent the West. The numbered Minors alternate between Western and Eastern scenes. The top of the Minor Arcana cards feature the emblem of the given suit.

This deck comes with a small 64 page booklet in five languages. The minor arcana receive only brief two line divinatory descriptions while the major arcana are described in some detail.

Ramses: Tarot of Eternity

Creator(s): Giordano Berti, Severino Baraldi
Date: 2003
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-3898-755313  
Type: other
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol.IV, p. 716

Notes:
The deck is set in a specific time frame, 1304 BCE to 1224 BCE, which is the life span of Ramses II. The Major Arcana show scenes from the life of Pharaoh Ramses II, and the Minor Arcana show scenes from the lives of ordinary people. Only two cards show figures from outside the period, The Fool, which shows Akenaton, and Judgement, which shows Moses.

The reversible backs show an extract from the Emperor card mirrored from the centre line. The deck comes with a LWB in five languages,  but there’s no mention of the depicted historical events save the names associated with the Majors.

Dante Tarot

Creator(s): Giordano Berti, Andrea Serio
Date: 2001
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-3933-939951  
Type: other
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol.IV, pp. 305, 305






Notes:
This Deck is named after the Italian philosopher and poet  Dante Aligheri (1265-1321). The Dante Tarot is a themed art deck, not a standard tarot deck. The 22 major arcana cards combine ethical, philosophical, and spiritual concepts, as expressed by Dante in his Convivio, with the traditional tarot images.

The Major Arcana is almost entirely renamed, reflecting the Renaissance list of virtues and ranks of celestial authority:

0 - Need  (Fool)                          I - Intellect  (Magician)
II - Philosophy (Priestess)           III - Wisdom (Empress)
IV - Government (Emperor )         V - Hope (Hierophant)
VI - Love (Lovers)                        VII - Direction (Chariot)
VIII - Justice (Justice)                  IX - Prudence (Hermit)
X - Luck (Fortune)                       XI - Strength (Strength)
XII - Charity (Hanged Man)           XIII - Death (Death)
XIV - Moderation (Temperance)     XV - Authority (Devil)
XVI - Virtue (Tower)                      XVII - Thrones (Star)
XVIII - Angels (Moon)                   XIX - Domination (Sun)
XX - Archangels (Last Judgement) XXI - Principalities (World)

The suit of Bricks (Pentacles) traces Dante's life, depicting influential characters, his work, and his marriage. The other three suits correspond to the sections of the Divine Comedy.

 Flames (Swords) depict the main events shown in Dante's Inferno. The cards feature Charon, Cerberus, the suicides, and the King of Flames -Dante’s meeting with the Devil, which is the culminating event in the Inferno.


The suit of Clouds (Pentacles) shows slices of Purgatorio, the place where souls come to reflect their earthly sins. Lights (Cups) representing Paradiso-the ascension into heaven.

The backs are not reversible, and depict Dante seated at his desk, writing the Divine Comedy with a feathered pen. The LWB gives background information on Dante and explains how the works of Dante were integrated into the framework of the tarot. The artwork is surrealistic and created in pastels.

Bambini Tarot

Creator(s): Lele Luzzati
Date: 2001
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-3933-939968   
Type: other
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol.IV, pp. 279, 280







Notes: 
"Once upon a time, there was a tarot deck designed as if people had never grown up and all of the adults remained children forever..." is printed on the box and the characters on the cards look as if they are playing at being in a tarot deck. Death shows a child removing a skull mask, the Devil shows a boy with his tongue sticking out.

The minors have pip-style arrangements with small illustrations included. The reversible backs are  purple, with an image of four  birds. The art is hand coloring and applying patternd paper.

The Amazing Fortune-Telling Book

Creator(s):  Karen Lee, Kipling West
Date: 1997
Country: USA
Publisher: Hyperion
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN: 0-7868-1136-6   
Type: other
Reference: Artist's page

Notes: 
Kipling West is an illustrator for Children's books. She also creates toys and packaging for toys. This is a Children's book that came with a set of major arcana cards. The book also includes chapters on astrology, Chinese astrology, palm reading, and other forms of fortune telling such as scarpomancy ( according to the author a modern method of telling fortunes by analyzing people by studying their old shoes) or omphalomancy (viewing your own belly button as a way to tell the future).  

The book includes a box for the cards, as well as a pocket in the backflap to hold them. The cards are just basic cardboard. The card fronts are coated, but the backs are not. The corners are square, and the edges have slight bumps where they were originally connected, before being punched out of a sheet.

The cards all depict animals, most of the cards use the traditional titles but are made suitable for children by transforming the Devil to the Chameleon, the Hanged Man to the Bat (who hangs upside down on a tree), and Death to the Phoenix. The non-reversible backs are in black and white, showing the various animals.