Glass Tarot No. 2

The artist behind this deck, Krzysztof Glass (1944-2000) was a busy, engaged and creative person: painter , graphic artist , poet , journalist and political analyst where the fields where he was active in. As artist he began exhibiting his paintings, drawings and lithographs from 1970 onwards in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Germany and Austria. His main interests and concerns in his artistic expression where concerned with both the working class and social themes, but he also created 2 tarots.

The second of his 2 tarots came recently into my possession by pure chance and to my great joy of course (all interesting decks always are, and this one is both interesting and extremely difficult to find). This deck was published in 1977 in a limited edition of only 99 decks, and made in a very time and work intensively manner: hand-pulled, with the (very bold) colors added in separate steps a true work of art and great craftsmanship. The only part of the deck that is a bit less are the simplistic pip cards (only the number of suit emblems they represent) but the majors and court cards are stunning and worth every attention they can get, being both very in your face as well as mysterious because of they are shown with dual or split profiles .

Paul Rodenko & Andre Kerkhoven De Tarot

Not all tarots are printed as cards or loose prints, some only exist bound within a book like this one that was born out of the collaboration between the poet Rodenko and the artist Kerkhoven. Both discipline are linked to each other here with each time a poem and it's corresponding image facing each other.

Paul Rodenko (full name Paul Thomas Basilius Rodenko) was an important Dutch essayist & poet who was the chief critical advocate and apologist for the Fiftiers (a Dutch-Belgian literary movement  for renewal) and for Dutch experimentalism in general, Andre Kerkhoven was a graphic artist specialized in woodcuts. Both men worked on this book in Rodenko's last year and was finished after his death by his wife Jetty.

The first edition of the book was released in a very limited edition of only 15, the year after that it was reprinted in a normal soft-cover non-limited edition and can still be found at a very reasonable price, only a few euro's at most.

Taylor Mccall Tarot Prints

I've recently moved homes, one of the painfullest and difficult part of the whole wasn't the furniture but my collection, terrified as i was/am of damaging one i've packed them each very carefully and moved them from my parents home to my current location. as a matter of fact i'm still doing that, taking a few, packing them carefully and moving so i can get them a place in my home where they are at their very best, this is off course a wonderful way to get re-accustomed to those treasures i wasn't always able to access regularly before.

This one is one of those treasures, due to it's massive size, 32' x 23" (32" x 16" per 'page') when it's fully opened it is very difficult to move or even simply handle. These silk-screened images are printed and folded in the middle as pages from a huge book, on the left the  description by P. D, Ouspensky (translated by A. L. Pogossky) of  the Major Arcana  on the right the designs Taylor McCall made based on these, by hand-cutting screens for each color. To further the cosmopolitan images of this creation it was printed on hemp paper handmade by the Amatruda family in Amalfi, Italy and hand-pulled for each page up to nine times by serigrapher Hugh Blackwell of London

Limited to an edition of only 150 sets and finally published by Bocaccio Press of Santa Fe in 1975, what is my birth-year so that makes it even more special to me.
 

D.O.M.E. Tarot by Sheila Ross

Yet another interesting deck that found its way to my collection. This strange extended deck (majors + 10 cards representing each sephiroth) was published in 1978 by the D.O.M.E. services in a normal edition and a larger sized version. The whole deck looks clean drawn and executed black and white although the whole looks not entirely harmonious it has its charm and even an interesting sense of humour.

There is one availlable at Tarot Garden for those interested

Tarot of Frown Strong by Leo

This deep & bizarre deck has earned his followers and fans these last 4 decades, and is still going strong and very much being sought after despite being long OOP, and most important for me has found its way into my collection. It was created by the Swiss esoteric teacher Leo Armin, a healer and guru from the 70's and 80's who had his own group of followers (among who actor Peter Sellers) and also ran a church.

The deck has been printed at (least?) three different times, after some research I’ve reconstructed a printing history

1978: hinged black box edition with green velvet interior (this seems not always to be the case – but I’m not sure of it means there where several print runs or that there where simply different boxes in regard to the interior furnishing). This is the original version that was published by Cobwebs Press (London). It was released to the US in 500 signed copies by U.S Games Inc.   

1986: "white box edition 1"

The edition was printed by the “Regal Print Company” (London) and was probably printed in 1986. This edition wasn’t signed and differs from both the original English version and the US Games version in that the numbers do not have dots on either side and the lettertype is not the same. “Leo” isn’t mentioned here as  world copyright is attributed to “S.B. Armin 1986”.

1991: "white box edition 2" 

French version copyright 1991 by R.Armin. The text an edited and expanded version of the original LWB, there are also quite a few differences in the images also. The French version also has slightly smaller cards then the original English one, but with a much better print quality.

Le Tarot des Grands Peintres by Jacques Breyer

This deck is also known as "l'Arbre du Thot" and under the English title of ""Fine Art Tarot"" was published in 1979 by the artist in 2 different formats the large one being 8.75 in x 4.5 in, (22 cm x  11cm), this is the one I posses,  and 4.25 in x 2.25 in (11 cm x 5,5 cm) and sold in a nice wooden box, and to make the whole even more special the edges where gilded, there was also a version of this deck distributed by US Games Inc. in 1981 for the USA.

The creator started his work linking the 22 majors to great works of art in the spring of 1979, (and a great season that is to let things grow organically isn't it?), using sections of these pieces of classical art, well known paintings by famous artists (for ex. Botticelli , Bosh, Rubens and many more), illuminations from manuscripts and colored engravings he created a nicely balanced yet eclectic deck that portrays the creative genius from past era's linked to the tarot archetypes. He also gave every card a motto fitting each card's personality and actions..

Arica Tarot by Oscar Ichazo

As Egyptian themed decks go this 79-cards deck is probably one of the if not the biggest around, each card is sized 11 inches by 8.5. (278mm by  142).

The deck subtitled Coloring Cards for the Game of the Scarab has 2 dates on in 1978 & 1982 and was published in New York  by the Arica Institute Press as a learning tool with color instructions for each detail put in the detachable borders.

My Tarot by Astrid Pilegaard Larsen & Frank K Jensen

Granted the title of this deck isn't the most original possible (there must been at leas a dozen decks by that name), but it becomes interesting especially from a collectors point of view when you know it's connected to  Frank K Jensen who published between 1989-1997 Manteia still one of the most important sources for decks published in that era, and also grand collector of decks.

This majors only deck was self-published in 1978 in a limited edition of only 200 decks with lots of blank space on the bottom part for students to add their notes and the possibility to color the deck. The images themselves where based upon Court de Gebelin and the notes in his work "Le Monde Primatif".

You can also see it at the Tarot Garden

Annabella Magie Noire Tarot (Dutch version) by Giancarlo Carloni

I was recently lucky enough to be able to buy some decks from a collection being sold off, so my collection got enriched with some new and interesting treasures.

This deck was commissioned by Lancôme (a luxury beauty brand owned by L’Oreal since 1964) to promote its perfume “Magie Noire”. The cards were presented and described in the May 1979 issue of the Italian magazine Annabella. But knowing this is a promotional item, it’s normal, yet not obvious to find always, to see it appear in other languages as here in Dutch.

The artist who created this deck Giancarlo Carloni did a wonderful job combining the archetypes of the tarot with the world of refinement and luxury as represented by Lancôme these cards breathe that atmosphere that would be fitting to any grand mansion or 5 star hotels from the seventies. 

Le Tarot de l'Etoile

Big, very dense and yes also weird could be a way to describe this true find - and one i'm very proud of having in my collection a new treasure to add to my ever growing collection.

This majors only deck was printed in 1979 in Paris in a limited edition of 303 decks by the Mouvement Nouvelle Civilisation a French esoteric organization and comes in a nice wooden wooden hinged box with a bronzed Egyptian symbol nailed onto it as it's title on a paper sticker - the cards have the look and feeling of meditation or study cards with has the effect of not always giving the most esoteric result but intriguing it sure is!
The deck is populated by Amazon-figures, who populate almost each card, and filled with Hebrew letters and other esoteric symbols.The Tarot de l'Etoile has a very unique look that sets it apart from all others often if not always departing radically from set images.

The “i Tarocchi di Andrea Picini”

Change can be good, change can be bad, but mostly change is just that: change something different but nor better or worse than before just different. This can be true for many aspects of life including tarot! This week I had the pleasure of receiving the majors only version of the Picini tarot what gave me the opportunity to compare both versions the 22-version to the 78-version, and yes between both versions the cards underwent change (mostly in colour and hue, sometimes some extra details elements).As to be expected I preferred some cards in one version, and others in the other version – besides their number of cards these changes made them feel different enough to be 2 different decks by one artist rather as the 78-card version being an ‘up-grade” of the first edition, different but better nor worse.

*A little side note here, why do the cards that stand the most for change in the cards, Wheel of Fortune, Death and Tower, are those that in the ± 600 years tarot history underwent the less change?

** In these images the image on top comes from the majors-only version, the one below from the 78-card version.

Waite J.K. Tarot by Seigan Nakajima

There are many WCS* decks out there but few are this elegant and even 'trippy' (in a good way) as the Japanese Waite J.K. Tarot, so i was vary lucky to obtain this deck from 1975 - what is by coincidence also my year of birth what makes it extra special.The deck follows closely the Pamela Coleman Smith originals closely but also some personal touches and changes.


* aka the Rider Waite Tarot, but as Mr. Rider was only the original publisher why let him take credit for more than that. I, and many others among who tarot authorities like Frank K Jensen prefer to credit the persons behind the deck namely Edward Waite & Pamela Coleman Smith.

A Thelemic Tarot

For one who's not into the Crowley/Harris Thoth deck, not that i don't love it, it just doesn't do anything for me, I sure like it's derivatives! Compared to the other 2 big traditions in tarot namely the Waithe Coleman Smith and the Marseilles there are extremely few Thoth remakes so each one is special to me.

So last week one of these specials back from the '70ies arrived in my post namely the A Thelemic Tarot - The Major Arcana created and published in a limited edition of only 499 decks by Augustus Donelly back in 1977, the deck is one of those to-color-decks complete with instruction leaflet, reproduced (photcopied?) from a handwritten original. The artist writes: " I have tried to remain as close as possible to the structure of the Lady Frieda Harris pack which was painted under the personal guidance of Crowley. The designs which differ greatly are a result personal experience during meditation ... the power remains the same" The artist clearly expected that this deck would be used with Crowley's Book of Thoth and thus no guide book is provided with the deck.