Tarot de Mars by Celine Guichard

Yet another new and interesting deck arrived today, perhaps not one to anyone taste (but then as the French say: "les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas".

Speaking from France: this is where this deck came from namely from the art collective "le dernier cri" (what can be translated to both "the last scream" or "the latets fashion"). Le dernier cri has printed (among other works) these last few years some creative re-imaginings of the Tarot de Marseille - some very far some closer, yet always with a sting and even the potential to shock some.

The shocking potential in this one is limited to some "alive" members on some cards but not in an in-your-face way - the biggest discussion may be if this is a TdM or not, it adheres to the structure, yes, but at some places the images is very different....

I for myself resolve the categorization "problem" by filing them under the handle Neo-Marseilles (a yes but-no but sulution that yet recognizes it's ancestors.

As with all it's prints this too is in a limited edition run (500 for this one) offset printed.

You can obtain the deck here 

Coffret Tarock by Marie Meier

I've been quite active the past holidays period - time to shower myself with some tarot presents, and yes I found some gems, like this one.

I already had some music inspired decks, and each and every one is very different from the others, after all music is a very personal and emotional subject often linked to intense emotions and/or important memories - thus the artist is this way showing a very intimate part of his or her personality and feelings at this moment in their life. Judging by the looks of the box and the large prints (30 x 17 cm) Miss Meier is a very extra-vert even wild strong woman!


The deck was previously exposed at Perpignan (France) and is printed in a limited edition of only 100 majors set with a "stay rock" print and also 4 cards collector pin up  cards 17 x 15 cm.

Where the extra cards and the one on the box are bold and colorful the Facsimiles of the 22 Major arcanas are equally striking but in strong black and whites with some grey shading, each and every one reflecting the personality and style of the artist(s) depicted, who are most of them looking directly at you.

As far as I know the sets are sold out, but there are still individual prints, originals and colur prints available at the artists webshop here

“Les Triomphes” by Bertrand Saint-Guillain

End of last week I received from  Bertrand Saint-Guillain a wonderful gift in the mail, it was a print test for the sun of his new upcoming simply entitles "Les Triomphes" (the trumps).

Bertrand is no stranger to tarots and already produced 2 decks, and once again he uses the same media as before for expressing his vision through 22 cards. Once more the artist took it upon himself to express himself through the tarot.

Already having his other decks (what a surprise 😉 ) I can see the common hand behind these 3, but also the differences, 3 decks 3 personalities so to speak. - they exist in their own right, as a full and finished creations.

His "Les Triomphes" deck has ancient roots, among others the Viéville and the Tarot de Paris, but updated to modern insights and seen through his personal eyes and hand-carved and block-printed - and by this technique once more returning back to the roots.



Les Triomphes is not yet finished, but one can already order them through his website here.
Limited edition of 22 large sized prints (10 x 20cm), you can more information on the creation of the deck here

Bambolanera In Marseille

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy....well what goes for people is also valuable for decks, and for sure this deck isn't dull. This OOAK (One Of A Kind) deck sure is fun, (besides being a great addition to my collection)

The artist behind it and others sells his decks and other creations on Etsy under the name  Layla and Sagittis in his shop HERE.  The decks he sells can be divided into two times kinds, limited editions of 50 or OOAK decks, and also dark versus more "light hearted" decks  although the darker ones also have a touch of humor into them and the more cheerful also have a shadowy element. Not the cheapest decks, but then these are not use-decks but (more) collector items.

This specific set is Layla and Sagittis' take upon the Marseilles deck depicted with the house-model Bambolanera who can be found in different decks by the same artist.The use of this figure gives this handmade deck a cheerful, even cheeky feeling, while respecting the traditional and well known images, it's enough to put a smile upon my face.  

Oliver Hibert's Minor Arcana

The Waite-Colman tarot is one of the most copied, adapted, changed or used as a base for another deck, yet each year new 'clones' keep on popping up and flooding the marked. Some of these are illegal copies, other have had more work done upon them, and that is the least you could say of this deck!

More than just another remake or reinterpretation, this is a rejuvenation and the energy just jumps of off every card now (not only the energy but also the colours,this is definitely not a deck for wallflowers but for man and woman who dare to make a statement.

The card are small-sized high quality cardstock, it is the kind of deck you can easily put in your pocket or small purse or jacket pocket or...and then in one move flip them out in the open and dazzle or shock your compagny (or do both at the same time even).

For the moment it's an majors only deck only, but the artist Oliver Hibert is working on the full 78 cards and hopes to have them out in the latter part of 2015, available from it's publisher Von Zos (where you can already get the majors only now and get a reduction when you get the minors when they become available)

Born in the USSR by Alexander Daniloff

True artists can never stay still our without creating anything for a long period, and behold less then a year after finishing and publishing his 81-card deck  (both Justice and Strength are twice in the deck both once at 8 and 11) he has managed to paint a new major arcana.

This arcana looks different than his previous creations, yet if one really looks closely at it one can easily identify them as both having the same author, or is it the authors Russian/East-European origins that shine through in both - or both artist and his roots that materialise into the finished works.

As the artist describes it himself as following: "Born in the USSR" is a series of Major Arcana inspired by Soviet propaganda posters of the '20s and '30s. Represents the human enthusiasm for the construction of a better future, a future so far away not to leave anything for the present, that turns into a nightmare.".....and continues with his experience and view upon that: "... is a look at the past of my country* many years later. The past quite sticky, still following us continuing to offer the splendor of the future for to rob us the present"
Whow what a definition, what a statement, and surely something that creates BIG expectations...well in my perception it does fulfil those perfectly!

The artist is not planning to expand the deck beyond the majors, nor is a publication something for the near future, it is only a project for the moment being, but who knows what the future may bring us, it just may be written in the cards...

You can admire this deck at his website here

* Daniloff was born in Donetsk (USSR) in 1963, and did his studies at the Theater School of Niznij Novgorod (Russia) in 1990, and successfully exhibited  both in Russia and abroad. In 2000 Daniloff moved to Rovigo in Italy.

Osvald Wirth Tarot. Handcoloured edition by Ouroboros, Denmark 1995/2012

Earlier this year I wrote about the reprint of the historic 1889 Oswald Wirth deck by Adam McLean (here) now it's the turn to an other publication of this deck, also by a big tarot collector/authority, namely by K. Frank Jensen.

Frank's edition is an hand coloured edition of only 10 decks, a very small edition indeed but then even 10 is a lot when you have to carefully and cleanly paint 10 x 22 = 220 cards (size 88x143 mm).The Wirth tarot came in a faux book style box together with an illustrated 32 pages booklet by K. Frank Jensen.

The line drawings come from an anonymous, probably German, artist copying Wirth’s own drawings, as for the colours in Jensen's edition are based upon one of the only 2 versions of this deck know still to be in existence, the one used here belongs in a Japanese collection and was formerly part of the R.C.Bell collection of games.

The other deck is in the possession of Belgian collector Guido Gillabel, how it came into his possession is interesting, if I may say so, formerly the deck belonged to an other collector namely Hans Wesseling, after his death his widow asked Guido to sell of his deck, the Wirth got first sold to individuals behind the movie  Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows. After the production of the film Guido was able to buy the deck back.  

I am not sure if there are still decks availlable, but for information about it you can always mail him here.

If you are curious to know the story of the link between this deck and the above mentioned movie Mary K. Greer posted it on her blog here

The Hive IV Tarot by various artists

For the 4th year in a row the Hive Gallery & Studios in Los Angeles held their Tarot themed exhibition at the beginning of the year and produced the major arcana decks from the cards in  a limited edition of 100 sets.

As with previous decks/years and as can be expected from a collaborative deck the cards portray a wide range of styles and used techniques, and yes some do work better than others, but then these are artists, not tarot readers/thinkers who are also artists.

Entries for previous editions are to be found here:

• The Hive I & II Tarot's 
• The Hive III

The Original Oswald Wirth Tarot Of 1889 published by Adam Maclean

Adam McLean continues to procure us all with wonderful decks we collectors love to have - and this time it's a reprint of the original 1889 edition of  the very first and still used esoteric deck created by Oswald Wirth. The tarot is published in a limited edition of 100 decks

At the time the deck was published they where colored by hand by unskilled (and badly paid) hands, often children. The used techniques namely by stencils means that the effect was often sloppy with colours overflowing and a messy look.

Adam has cleaned up the deck and is offering it on his website here and proceeds from this deck will go towards the Centre for Tarot Art.

There is also an other version around of the 1889 Wirth deck, handcoloured by K Frank Jensen, you can see it here

2 Sola Busca Tarot edtions by Wolfgang Mayer; Giordano Berti - Osvaldo Menegazzi

Yesterday was a special and memorable day for my collection, 2 new decks arrived or to better put it 2 editions of this historical important deck.
Both editions are high quality reproductions of the deck faithful to the original! The difference are ever so slight between both editions of the Sola Busca, there where both are offering the deck in it's original size the Mayer/Berti cards have a very discrete border around the cards rendering them a bit larger than the one reproduced by Osvaldo Menegazzi, the second difference is that the Il Meneghello Sola Busca is a bit darker in hue.

The Sola Busca is an important deck for many reasons, first it's age at the beginning at the official history of the Tarot, and it is the only complete 78 cards deck that has survived into our age. It was also the FIRST deck (and only for many centuries) to portray all minor arcana cards as ilustrated images not solely as a numerical representation of the suit emblems + court cards. The deck is said to have been a great inspiration to Pamela Colman-Smith who has drawn the Waite-Colman Tarot one of the best known, used, sold and used as inspiration for other tarot's deck of the 20th century, the influence can for example be seen in the 3 of Sword.

As a food starting point more information about the Sola Busca visit the Tarotpedia page dedicated to it.

The edition printed  in 1998 by Wolfgang Mayer is the full 78 cards deck, published in a limited hand numbered and signed (on the information card that is on side in German the other in English) edition of 700 decks and is now being offered by (tarot) historian Giordano Berti who obtained some copies and commissioned an Italian artisan to create a book shaped box for the deck.There is also a LWB provided with it by senor Berti
You can find more out about this deck at Berti's Facebook page here or at his website here or you contact him via email here.

Il Meneghello obtained from the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and Pinacoteca di Brera (where it is housed) the exclusive rights to reproduce the deck directly from the original cards, and is offering it in a limited edition of 400 majors only decks.
For more information about this edition see the Il Meneghello Facebook page here, this deck's Facebook page here or contact Christina Dorsini here.

Both decks deserve my 2 thumbs up and made this collector extremely happy and proud by their presence in my collection.

Triomphes MMXII by Bertrand Saint-Guillain

Bertrand Saint-Guillain who back in 2001 created the Triomphes De Paris a back to the roots version of the Tarot de Marseille inspired by Jacques Viéville has also created this deck on the complete opposite of the spectrum where the first one was traditional, this deck looks modern and sharp.
This deck I'd categorize as Neo-Marseilles is one nice addition to my collection

Both decks are forming a nice contrast to each other and at the same time a good couple (opposites attract they say...) and dispite their differences there are many aspect that bind them together also, better fitted than many human 'relations' I dare to say!

This is a deck with a personality and with living personalities in it, some personal friends of the artist, among who one may easily recognize Enrique Enriquez, as the Magician; Mary Greer as the High Priestess - even the creator of the deck himself is represented as card number 16.

This majors only tarot was published as a limited edition of 200 deck and is still available at the artists website here.

KENZO Tarot Cards by Michael Willis

This deck was created by London based artist Michael Willis in collaboration with/and for the fashion label KENZO for being used at live Tarot readings at Kenzos pop up store at Maria Luisa in Paris earlier this year.

With a subtitle as "Psy Chic" and produced for a fashion label the item could not be anything but classy (and I'm sure will be very sought after and collectable - for both tarot lovers and fashionistas).

The images of this limited-edition majors only deck are true to the expression of Willis and combine well classic tarot symbols with 60ies style, printed in Ben-Day dots to augment the feeling and rendered in the KENZO palette using the label’s latest Jean-Paul Goude campaign as backs.

Exclusively on sale on their online shop here this deck comes just in time for the holidays at the sweet price of only € 25 and will be gone for good afterwards I fear... only to be found at auction sites like eBay at an inflated price.
The artist showcases this deck and other of his works here.

Halloween Tarot by RAH (Rodney Howington)

From the same artist as the "Wonderland Tarot" I mentioned here last July, in the same style colorful, playful and with a large dose of healthy madness.

Featuring all kind of Halloween creatures and settings ranging from the adorable to the creepy and everything in between, yet due to the style and flashy images it still remains a deck you can take out and show to adult and children alike without leaving the behind disturbed and  in shock.

This majors only deck is a fun interpretation of the Halloween-theme without giving us dark settings and horror, yet one thing I found surprising is that cards that in other decks are dark and menacing looked here more sweet and fun (like for example death) yet cards that otherwise have a soothing imagery looked more dark in this one (for example this deck has the most disturbing Star card I've seen in times)

This Halloween Tarot can still be obtained at the artist's Etsy store here

I Tarocchi Di Antonio Possenti

Earlier this year in April (from the 7yh to the 29) there was be an exhibition of the major arcana paintings by Antonio Possenti (1933° - ), these where printed into a limited edition of 1000 decks celebrating the inauguration of the new headquarters of the Vallardi Galleria D'arte where the y where shown.

The cards are airy and have a certain sense of humour (perhaps coming from his his background as a political cartoonist), combining this sense of humour with his poetic surrealistic style the 22 resulting arcani are vibrating with a semi-wild/untamed energy and a light and joyful outlook.

The images display also a somewhat gentile chaotic, in a sense childlike innocence ...while at the same time showing the master-craftsmanship of the artist not unpleasing to me, but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.. 

The deck can be obtained from the Vallardi Galleria D'arte  or from the gallery's eBay shop at the very democratic price of € 25 + shipping.

The Fialko Tarot by Jeff Fialko

Rejoice tarot collectors of all nations, Adam McLean, fellow collector of tarot (with a truelly HUGE) collection has restarted to produce limited edition tarot decks in his  Artwork Tarots, after his project was stopped because of the theft of the Intellectual Property rights by scrupulous people sharing these free on internet thus making it unprofitable for Adam to continue the project.

Earlier this year he started experimenting with the new high quality printer and discovered a way to produce very good quality tarot cards in a way that is both more cost effective and faster than before, resulting in the fact he can now sell them at half the price of his earlier editions. Other changes he made are that he no longer prints card backs,  has reduced the size of the editions from 100 to only 50 and finally the customized boxes are replaced by clear plastic ones. This all will result in the fact that editions will sell out very faster and be followed by new ones, and based on how successful this edition was he is considering putting out more decks.

Indeed I wrote "was" because deck number 24 in the Artwork Tarots series the "The Fialko Tarot" by American artist and singer Jeff Fialko (hence the name) is already sold out, and it has only taken a bit over a week to do so, speaking of a succes, this is one! You can see some more of the deck at Adam's page about it...sadly that is all no more decks for sale.

The deck itself is filled with attractive looking slender yet believable normal humans, esoteric images and filled up with flowing lines, curves and roots(?). personally..the style reminds me a  lot of American comic books from the 70ies and 80ies( and to some extent the) 90ies.....

Sacred Indian Tarot by Kiren Rai & various artists

Recently I reported here finding a deck from India and how rare it was a deck from that huge country, well here I am back with yet another one from over there, published closely to each other with names that are almost similar (only one letter difference) yet in style and number of card they are as different as they can be (what is not really a surprise knowing the size of India and its number of inhabitants)

Consisting of 22 hand painted cards by young talented Indian artists, each working in their own techniques making this deck as diverse as the traditions and spiritual landscape of the country itself. The deck combines the western tradition and concepts of the tarot with vibrant images from powers, Gods and Goddesses from Indian mythology resulting in a spicy yet very digestible major arcana deck suitable for both the collector ans the tarot reader, for westerners as Indians, beginners as advanced tarot-users. 

The deck is easy to obtain through the mainstream distributors.

Wonderland Tarot by Rodney Howington

Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) are not only 2 great works of Western literature but it is also a great source of inspiration to create a tarot deck, what isn't really surprising knowing Carroll was a member of Society for Psychical Research (an organization for the study of spiritualism, ESP, clairvoyance and all type of paranormal activity)

This interpretation of these works looks very colourful, and outspoken, it could have been made by some characters, I'm thinking of the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat or the Caterpillar here strong,colourful, perhaps a bid insane even....a look that fits the more psychedelic aspects of the books. 

Artist Rodney Howington didn't hold back and went all the way in the chosen look making this a bold statement and powerful visual item popping right at you, in your face and proud of it a deck fit for 21st century lovers of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. 

You can buy it at the artist Etsy shop here.

Alexander Daniloff Tarot - Majors

Alexander Daniloff an in Russia born and raised artist who since 2000 lives in Rovigo (Italy) has produced a very nice high art tarot series that where exhibited in 2010, and that wonderful work of art has found it's way to my collection, 2 times even.

On the occasion of an exhibition in Russia the 22 tarocchi where printed in a small edition in card-size format (9,5x15 cm) on thick pearled cardstock, not entire satisfied with the result Daniloff has made them now available in A4 format printed on normal thickness clear pearly paper with creates a stunning effect, I have both versions and even if the small format looks very nice the larger one brings out the details and presents the art in the most flattering way.

The style is reminiscent of medieval and early renaissance paintings, with a curious  detail almost all personages seem to wear masks (what is particularity noticeable in the A4 prints), reminds me of the phrase by Shakespeare: 'Life is like a play - we merely go through the stages of our life acting it out' 

The prints can be ordered directly from the artist through his website, expensive yes, but it's worth every cent and even more!

The artist wants to expand the 22 cards to a 'full' 78 cards tarot, something I look forwards to but that will take a looong time probably

Update: here

• The 78 cards version is ready to be printed (well actually 81  cards. 78 cards with 3 cards added: carte blanche and two variants of the numbering Arcane Force and Justice (VIII and XI).

• Limited-editionS , printed in 450 copies of each, numbered and signed. Cards are printed on paper of 350 grams and are covered with a protective varnish. Card size: 73 х 141 mm. 

Le Tarot Des Archétypes by Bernard Chaumeil

The last few years and even decade the  tarot has left the traditional places where he was to be found and entered a more mainstream phase of its existence, one of these are the Jungian (based) therapies.

The creator of this deck who approaches the person as a whole taking into account the psyche and  body but also the social dimension of the person has created this deck as a way to help us identify problems and linked to them strengths and so proposing a solution to mend those.

All 22 cards in this colourful and semi (or in some cards almost entirely abstract) deck have been renamed and received 2 'titles', representing polarised archetypal dynamics, 22 human resources linked to 22 problems, called archetypes. These 22 archetypes correspond relatively well to the classic tarot archetypes or some of their aspects.

Tarocchi di Sigismondo by Umberto Giovannini

Tarot's come in all kinds and sizes from the minuscule to the HUGE, this one fits in the second category, size- and prize-wise, but is was so worth it.The Italian artist printmaker Umberto Giovannini, who has a special love for the polychrome woodcut technique used this love and his mastery over it to create 22 large (20x14 cm) tarot artworks.

The deck was inspired by, and took his name from Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, an 15th century Italian nobleman and patron of the arts, a special print representing him was added to the 22 tarot prints.(shown here on the left)

The whole 'deck' was showcased during an art exhibition at the "Palazzo Gambalunga" in Rimini (Italy) during April 2004 and printed in an edition of 99 decks (XV in Roman Numbers for the artist, 9 with letters for libraries and contributors and 75 copies of the normal edition), beautifully displayed in precious dark green passe-partouts bordered with gold. and bound into a book encased in a green box, truly an exceptional production and work of art and craftsmanship.