Sonntag, 30. September 2012

PicTarot

Creator(s): Peter Thaler, Lars Denicke
Date: 2010
Country: Germany

Publisher: Pictoplasma Publishing
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-3-9422-45-01-2   

Type:  
Reference:  pictoplasma






Notes: 

The Minors are a conventional playing card deck with an additional court card for each suit. The Majors were artwork created by different contemporary artists. The PicTarot is accompanied by a LWB.

Tarot de Jaques Vieville (Flornoy)

Creator(s): Jaques Vieville, Jean-Claude Flornoy
Date: 1650*, 2012
Country: France

Publisher: Jean-Claude Flornoy
Number of Cards: 2 x 22
ISBN: 978-2914-820110   

Type: Mixed
Reference:  tarot-history








Notes:

The deck  was made around 1650 in Paris by cardmaker Jacques Viéville, who was active from 1643 to 1664. The technique used by Viéville for the making of this tarot was woodblock prints, coloured by means of stencils.

The Tarot of  Viéville was created in the same time and place as the Jean Noblet Tarot, but is quite different. Many cards do match the cards in the Tarot of Marseilles tradition but the Tarot of Jacques Viéville seems to also be related to  the "Belgian Tarot", the "Tarocco Bolognese", and The "Ferrara" Tarots.

The Tarot of Viéville has no titles on the cards and the numbers seem as if they were added to the cards images and forced into place in available space rather than as part of the design. Nearly all the subjects of Viéville's tarot look towards the opposite direction faced by the ones of Marseille,  the engraver for Viéville presumably "copied" this tarot in reverse, using the "right" side of an old printed sheet as model. This edition of the Viéville majors presents them as they appear in the original deck and includes a mostly reversed option as well.

The Arcanas of the Star

Creator(s): Philippe Rouchier
Date: 2011
Country: France
Publisher: Editions du Chaudron Magique
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN: 

Type: 
Reference:
artist's page





Notes:
Philippe Rouchier is an artistic director and designer for cinema and TV and is a published novelist. ‘Eye of Myrrdin’ and ‘The Tarot of the Storm’ were his  previous major arcana decks.

The title (in French and English) and number is at the bottom of the card. ‘The Fool’  is unnumbered in this deck.The reversible card backs are black with a yellow central circle within a geometric design of a star. The deck came with a 42 page  booklet written in both French and English.

A Tarot of Faery

Creator(s): Beth Wilder
Date: 2010
Country: USA
Publisher: Schiffer Books
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-0-7643-3393-4
 
Type: RWS
Reference:
aeclectic




Notes:
"A Tarot of Faery" follows the traditional 78 card structure. The Major Arcana  are all traditionally titled. Strength is at VIII and Justice at XI. The suits are entitled Wands, Cups, Swords, and Rings (Pentacles). The suit of Rings is in deference to Faery Rings. The court cards are Page, Prince/Princess, Queen, and King.  The designation of Prince and Princess represent the Knight cards in traditional tarot.  The title of "Prince" is used for the masculine elements of Wands and Swords, and "Princess" is used for the feminine element of Cups and Rings.

The Swords is associated with the element of Fire, and the Wands suit is associated with the Air element.  In the guidebook is explained: "The logic behind this decision lies in the fact that dwarves craft swords using the element of fire while sylphs that inhabit the air are most likely to be portrayed by wands." The reversible backs show a black border, and a black background to a center graphic of latticework and small flowers, with a circle of small flowers in the center.

The Majors have only a  black border, with the card number, in Roman numerals, and the card title in gold at the bottom of the card. Swords show an additional small red border, Cups a light blue border, Wands a light lavender border, and Rings a light green border. For the Pips, the number and suit are in text at the bottom of the card, in the same color as the border. The Court cards show the card title and suit at the bottom of the card, in the same color as the border. 

The 176-page companion book and the cards come packaged in a cardboard box.  A lift up lid is pulled by a white ribbon tab to open the box. The lid has a hinged top and a magnetic closure. 


Montag, 24. September 2012

Cosmic Tarot

Creator(s): Norbert Lösche
Date: 1986, 1998
Country: Switzerland

Publisher: AGM
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-3-905219-40-1
 
Type: RWS
Reference:
aeclectic








Notes: 
The Cosmic Tarot was first published by FX Schmid, a bavarian company. Unfortunately this company was sold in the 1990s. The deck continues to be published by AGMüller but is also distributed by US Games. My edition was published 1998 by AGMüller and was printed in Belgium.

There are several familiar faces in the deck as some of the figures are based on Hollywood movie stars (e.g.Sean Connery as King of Wands).

The four suits are titled Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. Justice is at number 8 and Strength is at number 11. The Court cards are titled King, Queen, Prince and Princess. Wands are associated with fire and Swords with air. The titles are traditional RWS and shown at the bottom of each card. While early editions of this deck published by FX Schmidt had hand written titles, the more recent editions have a standardised type font.

The deck comes with a LWB and no companion book, but  there are three books published about this deck, which may be purchased separately; One authored by Jean Huets, another one written by Laura Clarson and a third book by Lösche himself, which is only available in German and Spanish.

The art is pen and ink, with pastel colors dominating.

The - non-reversible- backs  show a star field containing a pentagram  with a white rose at the center. At the top point is a golden sun rising and a black sun is found at the bottom of the card.

Sonntag, 23. September 2012

Tarot Nusantara

Creator(s): Hisyam A. Fachri
Date: 2009
Country: Indonesia

Publisher: GAGAS Media
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 9797803568
 
Type: RWS
Reference:
artist's page
Notes:
“Nusantara” is an Old Javanese word meaning “archipelago”, thus this deck is quite literally the “Tarot of Indonesia”.  It has slim, elongated figures with multiple draped layers of heavily patterned, brightly coloured fabric.

Majors and Minors have Roman numerals at the top of the card Strength is 8   Justice is 11.  It has rounded corners, grainy glossy card varnish/laminate in front, the card backs are reversible and not varnished/laminated. The titles of the deck are in Bahasa Indonesian.The deck comes with a book called The Real Art of Tarot, also  printed in Bahasa Indonesian.

Freitag, 21. September 2012

Gilded Tarot Royale

Creator(s): Ciro Marchetti
Date: 2012
Country: USA

Publisher: self published
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN:   

Type: RWS
Reference:
artist's page








Notes: 
The images were digitally created with Adobe Photoshop software.  Photographs with the appropriate expression and angle have been used for the hands and faces.

The major arcana cards are traditionally named except the Hanged Man, who is renamed the Hanging Man. The Fool looks a bit like George W. Bush, the Majors are archetypes of traditional tarot decks .

The Minors are fully illustrated and follow, fairly closely, the original designs of Pamela Coleman-Smith. While the emblem of the Sword, in the Suit of Swords, and the emblem of the Cup in the Suit of Cups, remain constant in the manner of their appearance from one card to the next in each of the two suits, the emblem of the Wand as used in the suit of Wands, and the emblem of the Pentacle, as used in the suit of Pentacles, go through various transformations as seen in the various cards of the respective suits. Thus, the Wand appears as scepter, fighting staff, walking staff, column and knights lance appropriate to the meaning of the particular card. Similarly, the Pentacle in the suit of Pentacles is, at once, Knights shield, a structural part of a Kings throne, a treasure chest of coins and various other constructs.

The cards of the Gilded Tarot Royale are larger (84 mm x 140 mm) than those of the Gilded Tarot (70 mm x 117 mm), the card stock is thicker with a gloss finish and edged in metallic gold. The images of each card have  re painted and more animals have been added to the deck.  

The deck includes an additional signature card. The backs are reversible and show a jeweled sunburst above a blue shield held in place with golden vines.

The deck comes with a CD rather than a booklet. Screensavers, avatars, diary templates, and a PDF with information about the cards is contained within. 

Mittwoch, 19. September 2012

The Fialko Tarot

Creator(s): Jeff Fialko
Date: 2012
Country: United Kingdom

Publisher: Adam McLean
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN:   

Type: Mixed
Reference:
Adam McLean

Notes:
Jeff Fialko is an American artist and musician. The deck is painted with ink and watercolor in a sort of Marvel-Comic-Style. Some card images have more elements of RWS (Magician / High Priestess) others more of Marseilles (Sun / Lovers). The numbering with Justice at VII and Strength at XI is Marseilles. The cards are numbered but without title.

It is a signed and numbered limited edition of 50, mine is number 35. The Fialko Tarot is number 24 of Adam McLean's "Art Tarots" series. This deck is made cheaper than the earlier editions, the cards are without lamination, there are no card backs printed and it has no custom made but a transparent acetate box.

Tarot of Vampyres

Creator(s): Ian Daniels
Date: 2010
Country: USA

Publisher: Llewellyn
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1191-1 

Type: RWS
Reference:
llewellyn







 
Notes:
The Major Arcana follows traditional titles, with Justice at VIII and Strength at XI. The suits are named Scepters, Grails, Knives and Skulls. The Courts are titled Lord, Queen, Prince and Daughter.

The cards measure 2 3/4" x 4 5/8" and feature backs which aren't exact reversible, but enough so that it's difficult  to tell at a glance which side is up. The cards are bordered on three sides with black. The titles on the bottom are surrounded by vines. At the bottom of the card is listed the card title for the Major Arcana (the Majors are unnumbered), the number and suit for the Pips, and the title and suit for the Court Cards.

The cards also feature the astrological signs related to them. These are explained in the accompanying book, along with details on how the cards relate to Qabala and the Tree of Life. The colors of Major Arcana are related to the zodiacal, astrological, or planetary color symbolism following traditional Golden Dawn correspondences.

The title of the companion book "Phantasmagoria" comes from stage magician Etienne-Gaspard Robert.  He was a master of theatrical production, and the term "phantasmagoria" represented a magic lantern show with silhouetted puppets used to act out macabre drama. The book is not illustrated; it is all text. 

Samstag, 15. September 2012

Ghosts & Spirits Tarot

Creator(s): Lisa Hunt
Date: 2011
Country: USA

Publisher: US Games
Number of Cards: 79
ISBN: 978-1-57281-661-9 

Type: RWS
Reference:
artist's page
Notes:
The deck follows a traditional structure, with Strength at VIII and Justice at XI. As in Hunt's other tarots the Hierophant becomes the High Priest, and the Devil becomes Chains. The suits are entitled Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. The Court Cards are entitled King, Queen, Knight, and Page.

There are 79 cards including an unnamed card which could serve  as a Significator, it  shows the head of a figure that appears to be behind bars, another face  right of the central face and more faces  below.

The cards are standard U.S Games size, with a glossy finish and beige borders The titles are in a cursive script. The deck comes with a 60 page LWB in English. The background is  blue, with a triskelion of three white ghosts  in the center. The card backs are reversible.

Fantastical Creatures Tarot

Creator(s): Lisa Hunt, D.J. Conway
Date: 2007
Country: USA

Publisher: US Games
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-1-57281-637-4 

Type: RWS
Reference:
artist's page







Notes:
Each card has a fairy or folk tale illustration  with an ornate border. Strength is VIII, Justice is XI. The suits are Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles.The Court cards are entitled Page, Knight, Queen and King. Designations, and major arcana titling are standard, except: the Hierophant is the ‘High Priest’, and the Devil is titled ‘Chains’. The most major change from the traditional is that Wands are associated with Air and Swords with Fire as always in Lisa Hunts decks.

For the Major Arcana, the card number is at the top, in Roman numerals, and the card title across the bottom. The Pips show the number in text and the suit across the bottom of the card. The Court cards show the card title and suit across the bottom of the card. The backs are cream colored, with a central circular motif, leaving the backs reversible. The artwork is done in a fantasy style, using watercolors. Earthy colours dominate this deck.

Thoth Tarot


Creator(s): Aleister Crowley, Frieda Harris
Date: 1944*, 1996, 2006
Country: USA

Publisher: US Games
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-0-88079-308-7 

Type: Thoth
Reference:
Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. III, pp. 152, 157 





Notes:
Crowley referred to this deck as The Book of Thoth, and also wrote a book of that title intended for use with the deck. Crowley originally planned the Thoth deck to be a six-month project aimed at updating the traditional pictorial symbolism of the tarot. However, the project was to span five years, between 1938 and 1943. The deck was not published in the lifetimes of either Aleister Crowley or Lady Frieda Harris, the deck was only available as illustrations in Crowley's book from a limited edition of 200 copies -dated March 21 , 1944 - that Lady Frieda Harris herself had printed.

The first full publication -of inferior quality- was by Samuel Weiser  in 1969; There was another limited edition of 250  of equal poor quality in the same year by Ordo Templi Orientis / Simpson printing company. That edition was also known as the Sangreal One-Color-Tarot. The illustrations were photographed from  copy 105 of the  limited edition and printed on blue ink on the front and red ink on the backs. In 1977 Harris' paintings were rephotographed for a second edition. A further update with new photography took place in 1986, while this "Purple Box"- edition is based on a revision of the update and was first printed in 1996 and reprinted 2006. The deck comes in a standard cardboard box, showing the Two of Pentacles card surrounded by a purple border.

Card suit ("Trumps" for the majors) printed in large, light letters, with card title (majors, courts) or keyword (minors) superimposed in dark, small-size type. Titles on the majors are flanked by a Hebrew letter on the left, and an alchemical or astrological symbol on the right. This is the only edition that still retains the inclusion of the three variants of the "Magus" card. The LWB was edited and updated by Lynn Araujo, and includes two essays written by Lady Frieda Harris, along with commentary by Stuart R. Kaplan.

Traditional titles are used for the Trumps (Major Arcana), with the following exceptions: Magus (Magician), Adjustment (Justice), Fortune (The Wheel of Fortune), Lust (Strength), Art (Temperance), and Aeon (Judgment). The four suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks. The Court Cards are Knight, Queen, Prince and Princess.  The minors do not contain illustrated scenes as in the Rider Waite Smith style. The  image on the card backs is that of the Rose Cross, surrounded by a white border.  Within this cross is represented all 78 cards of the Tarot. The artwork itself shows the influence of both art deco and projective geometry (Rudolf Steiner) instead of the usual straight or curved lines.

Freitag, 14. September 2012

The Djinn Tarot

Creator(s): Anna Miralles, Jean Dufaux
Date: 2010
Country:
France
Publisher:
Dargaud
Number of Cards:
22
ISBN:

Type:
other
Reference: amazon








Notes:
Djinn is a comic series written by Jean Dufaux and illustrated by the Spanish artist Anna Miralles. The 10th volume, Le Pavillon des Plaisirs has been issued in a limited edition that includes a set of majors by Ms. Miralles. The set associates characters from the series with the various majors.

It comes in a big flat box with the hardcover comic and a small tarot instruction leaflet.

Donnerstag, 13. September 2012

Raven's Fool Tarot

Creator(s): Vicky DeFrancesco
Date: 2011
Country:
USA
Publisher:
self-published
Number of Cards:
78
ISBN:

Type:
other
Reference: ravensfool

Notes:
The cards are wider than average, nearly square (10 cm x 9 cm) . Justice is 8 and Strength is 11. The Fool is numbered 0. Suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Coins. Courts are Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The backs are non-reversible.

The cards came in a bag, tied with a bit of blue plastic raffia.

Mittwoch, 12. September 2012

Tarot of the Sidhe

Creator(s): Emily Carding
Date: 2011
Country: USA

Publisher: Schiffer Books
Number of Cards: 78 
ISBN: 978-0-7643-3599-0  
Type: other

Reference:  schiffer
Notes:
This edition of the Tarot of the Sidhe has 78 cards with original, colourful Faerie paintings. There also exists a sold-out  majors-only version from Adam McLean.

The artist claims that the deck is painted through direct inspiration from the Sidhe, (pronounced Shee, the ancient Gaelic name for the Faery race).

The cards use original, non-derivatory symbolism within traditional Tarot structure. The Major Arcana retain their traditional titles, with the following exceptions: Pan replaces the Devil and the Hierophant becomes the Elder. Justice is VIII, Strength is XI. The suits are: Dreamers / Air, Warriors / Fire, Dancers / Water and Makers / Earth. The Court card titles are King, Queen, Prince and Princess. The backs are a solid black, with a non-reversible center image in gray of the Great Glyph of the Sidhe.

The deck and 96 page companion book-with a foreword by John Matthews- come in a sturdy cardboard box with a lift-off top.

Dienstag, 11. September 2012

Tarot of the Holy Light


Creator(s): Christine Payne-Towler, Michael Dowers
Date: 2011
Country: USA

Publisher: Noreah Press
Number of Cards: 78 
ISBN:  
Type: other

Reference:  artist's page





                                      Notes:
The Tarot of the Holy Light is a traditional Continental-style deck full of images like they are used in alchemical and hermetic texts. The associations for the trumps from this deck are keyed to the ideas taught by Ettteilla and Papus. The Pips and Court Cards are distributed in a classic astrological pattern. The signs, planets, and elements that rule them are marked on each card.

The traditional names have been used for the Major Arcana, with the following exceptions: Magus (Magician), Priestess (High Priestess), High Priest (Hierophant), and Tower of Destruction (Tower). Justice is VIII, with Strength at XI. The suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks. The Court Cards are Queen, King, Knight, and Page.On the Queen of Swords are the Initials of Christine Payne-Towler.

The card backs are done in black and white, with a Sun  in each corner.  At first glance the backs are reversible, but by looking closer one could tell if they were upright or reversed. The backs show some sort of a doorway into the cosmos, with the Sun representing the material world, and the Moon representing the celestial world. 

The box features art by Patrick Dowers, which is in a very different style to that of the deck. The cards themselves are 3” by 5”, with a linen texture. The LWB contains brief, Etteilla-based interpretations and spread suggestions. It is a limited edition of 1224, only 200 were signed and numbered. I have an unsigned one.

The Secret Language of Birds

Creator(s): Adele Nozedar, Linda Sutton
Date: 2011
Country: USA

Publisher: Schiffer Books
Number of Cards: 78 
ISBN: 978-0-7643-3900-4 
Type: other

Reference:  schiffer books




                                          Notes: 
The cards are big (4  x 5 1/2 inches). The name on the Major Arcana and the suit names of the Minors are in Italian. The court cards are named Queen, King, God, and Goddess. The minors from Ace to Ten are not  illustrated other then the corresponding number of birds to the number of the card. Each each suit is assigned to a particular type of bird. The associations are as follows:


North - Earth - Wren - Coins (Denari)
South - Fire - Skylark - Wands (Bastoni)
East - Air - Seagull - Swords (Spade)
West - Water - Kingfisher - Cups (Coppe)

There are some prominent humans pictured (Johnny Depp/Magician, Liz Taylor/Queen of Cups, Pavarotti/Hierophant...). The card back is reversible in blue with a diamond shape in the center. It comes in a  well constructed box with a metallic closure and is hinged on each side by white ribbon.

Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot - mini

Creator(s): Alex Ukolov, Karen Mahony
Date: 2011
Country: Czech Republic

Publisher: Magic Realist Press
Number of Cards: 78 + 1
ISBN: 

Type: RWS, mini
Reference:  
artist's page
Notes:

Mini deck (83 x 52 mm) with gilded edges. Special edition of 1200.

The deck comes in a sturdy hinged box and with its own small drawstring bag with gold cording and Czech glass beads.

As the standard size edition this has an extra "The Fortune Teller" card.

The backs of the mini edition are reversible.

Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot (Third Edition)

Creator(s): Alex Ukolov, Karen Mahony
Date: 2004, 2007, 2011
Country: Czech Republic

Publisher: Magic Realist Press
Number of Cards: 78 + 1
ISBN: 978-1-905572-12-0 

Type: RWS
Reference:  
artist's page
Notes:
This is the third edition of the deck (November/December 2011). The original deck was way back in 2004, this version has completely reworked the cards, with many changes in images - these include changed to the cats themselves, as well as alterations to colours, backgrounds and overall styling, but the spirit of the deck has been preserved.

Miniature models dressed in miniature custumes were used for the cat characters, and these are set against Baroque backgrounds mainly taken from Prague and other parts of Czech Republic (for details see here ). The general composition of the illustrations largely follows the Rider-Waite designs.

The majors are not numbered (allowing us to place Strength and Justice wherever we choose). The deck came with a title card, a LWB and the new extra card "The Fortune Teller" (in the first edition it was "Hermes").The backs of the standard size edition are not reversible.

Montag, 10. September 2012

Rosetta Tarot

Creator(s): M. M. Meleen
Date: 2011
Country: USA

Publisher: self-published
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-0-9840010-4-0 

Type: Thoth
Reference:  
artist's page
Notes:
The  name of the deck is referring to the Rosetta Stone, a fragment of an ancient Egyptian granite stele discovered in Rashid (Rosetta) and dating to 196 BC. The slab is inscribed with three identical scripts in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic text, and Ancient Greek and proved to be the key to decoding the previously unknown Egyptian hieroglyphs. In the same way that the Rosetta stone ties together the languages of these cultures, the Rosetta Tarot is intended to combine  Egyptian symbolism and Greek mythologies with alchemical symbolism.

The cards measure 7.1 cm x 11.2 cm. The backs of the cards are reversible and the background is a dark blue. They feature a red rose and a cross design that represent the four elements.

The major arcana show the title at the bottom of the card and the number, in Roman numerals, at the top. The court cards show the title at the bottom. The minor arcana have the number and suit at the top of the card and the titles (same as in the Thoth Tarot ) at the bottom.

The suits are Wands, Cups, Swords and Disks. The Major Arcana have titles that match Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Deck.   Adjustment (Justice ) is number 8 and Lust (Strength ) is number 11. The Court cards are titled Princess, Prince, Queen and Knight. Wands are associated with fire and Swords with air.  Most of the minor arcana cards are closely based on the Thoth symbolism with some slight variations.

The artist has chosen different mediums for each of the suits, which shall represent the spirit of the particular suit. The major arcana have been done in acrylic paint, for the suit of Wands she used a combination of coloured pencil and acrylic paint, the suit of Cups are done in watercolour, water-based ink and acrylic, the suit of Swords use a dry-point etching technique and acrylic, and for the suit of Disks it's oil pigments and acrylic.

The cards are packaged in a fold out box that opens on the horizontal. The box also contains an informative 56 page LWB. There is a face card that is numbered as one of 777 and signed by the artist. Mine is number 137. Also included is an extra card with my name in hieroglyphs.


Polish Tarot (Jasniak Color Tarot)

Creator(s): Aleksandra Jasniak, Anna Galuszka
Date: 1995, 1998, 2011
Country: Poland

Publisher: self-published
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 

Type: other
Reference: 
Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 386,388







Notes: 
The deck was first printed in Poland in 1993 as "Jasniak Color Tarot",  reprinted 1998 and 2011 under the name "Polish Tarot". The titles are in English and Polish, and the back design is double-ended, with the letter J in gold on black.

Tarot "Droga"

Creator(s): Barbara Marzena Mirewicz-Czumaczenko
Date: 2011
Country: Poland

Publisher: BMMC  Pracownia Artystyczna
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 

Type: other
Reference:  artists website







Notes:
"Droga" is Polish for "road", and - laid out in two rows- there is a road connecting all the major arcana. The Majors can be arranged in different ways showing different roads through the arcana (compare with the Minotarot where Provoost had done a similiar thing). The majors have a roman number and a Polish title at the top and an English title at the bottom. The images for the major arcana were created as hand-made fired glazed clay tablets, which were engraved by scratching out lines. Then they were painted and the result photographed.



The minors have a Polish title at the top and an English title at the bottom. There are no roads in the minors but each suit has a characteristic colour. The backgrounds are formed by digitally mixing photos of engraved clay images and images of fire, water, sky or stone.

The card backs show a non-reversible labyrinth.

The first print-run of the Tarot Droga is limited to 100 decks, the edition is not numbered but came with a signed card and an exhibition catalogue instead of a LWB.