Ancient Tarot of Lombardy

Creator(s): Ferdinando Gumppenberg
Date: 1810*, 2000
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-3927-808836   
Type: Milanese
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, p. 674

Notes:

Lo Scarabeo issued the facsimile titled Antichi Tarocci Lombardi first in 1995 as a twenty-two card miniature deck with square corners and  back design with a green-gold pattern and later as a full seventy-eight-card deck. The full deck has rounded corners, the first edition has a white back with red pattern, the second edition from 2000, which I have, has backs in  blue and white with the Sun card image.

The original  for this facsimile used the same black plates (except for the Death card) as the original for  Solleones Tarocco Neoclassico Italiano. This is  evidenced by the same scratches and etching anomalies appearing in both reproductions. The Lo Scarabeo edition is printed on a coated playing-card type stock, while the Solleone edition was printed on uncoated stock.

In this edition two different tax stamps are on the Ace of Swords, they date from the Austrian restoration of Lombardy. The top one is for 25 centesimi and was in use from 1816 to 1818, the other is for 60 centesimi and was in use from 1818 to 1823.

The Ancient Tarot of Lombardy  recreates the original Lombardy design that was inspired by neoclassical art. As such, the Major Arcana titles are in Italian, while the Minor Arcana pips bear no titles.

Tarocco Neoclassico Italiano

Creator(s): Ferdinando Gumppenberg
Date: 1810*, 1984
Country: Italy
Publisher: Solleone
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN:   
Type: Milanese
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. II, pp. 346, 347

Notes:

This deck by Gumppenberg was printed from fine metal engraving plates and handcolored. The ace of swords carries the tax stamp valid from 1807 to 1816. The name of the cardmaker, Gumppenberg, appears on the ace of cups.

There are  two editions that reproduce the original deck. This one is titled Tarocco Neoclassico Italiano and was first published in 1980 as a limited edition of 1500 and 1984 as a second edition of 999 by Edizioni del Solleone under the direction of Vito Arienti. Mine is no. 642 of the second ed. 

The other edition, which is nearly identical, was printed in 1995 by Lo Scarabeo and titled Antichi Tarocchi Lombardi. The designs of  these two decks have a few minor variations, because the cards for the  reproductions are taken from two instances of the original designs: The Ace of sword in the Lo Scarabeo edition  has a different tax stamp and it has a slightly different illustration on the death card, all other cards are identical.

The Major Arcana have Roman numerals and italian titles, and the designs depart from traditional tarot images. The Magician (Il Bagattelliere) is depicted as a travelling salesman, carrying around his wares in a tray. The Lovers card differs from usual renditions by switching the roles of the man and the woman. In the Tower card the lightning stroke and the falling battlements are missing; the tower seems intact and so on.

The pip cards in the swords and battons are of the Spanish type and do not interlace. The designs on the faces of the cards have a repeating border design, a thin line of alternating oval and round shapes .