About this item
- Also known as Visconti-Sforza Restored
Specifications
Name
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Visconti Tarot
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Alternate Names
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Visconti-Sforza Restored
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Creators
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A. Atanassov,
Giordano Berti
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Publisher
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Lo Scarabeo 2002
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Deck Type
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Tarot Deck
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Cards
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78
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Major Arcana
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22
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Minor Arcana
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56
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Deck Tradition
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Italian
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Minor Arcana Style
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Decorated Pips
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Chalices, Swords, Wands, Pentacles
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Court Cards
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Knave, Knight, Queen, King
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Major Titles
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The Fool
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is 0
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Strength
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is 11
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Justice
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is 8
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Card Size
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2.36 x 4.53 in. = 6.00cm x 11.50cm
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Card Language
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Spanish, Italian, German, French, English
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Card Back
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Reversible
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Back Design
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Monochrome taupe-gray motif of acanthus leaves and vines within a narrow black border.
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Reviews
I am pleased to see this version of the Visconti Gold from Lo
Scarabeo. Mark Filpas in Pasteboard Masquerade made a
reference to an upcoming book and deck set by Lo Scarabeo
with an even newer tower and devil card and a book by
G. Berti. He was referring to the Italian title of
Tarocchi dei Visconti, which arrived in its English
version on American shelves in September 2002. Someone
who bought the Visconti Gold when it first came out in
2000 or 2001 may ask me, is this a significantly
different deck?
For me, it is. What I like least is
probably a minor complaint and is one significant
difference. The backs are actually the less-than-ideal color
of funny yellowish green---but you might like the
different color. I compared the 2002 cards to a 2001
edition and found the lines of the gold stamping to be
slightly thicker and longer in the newer cards.
The
first and second things that I like most about the new
deck includes the newer Devil and Tower cards, not
pictured anywhere so far. The devil and tower in Mark
Filpas' 2000 review of the deck is NOT the newest version
by Atanassov.
One of the top selling points to me
is a very good book discussing the Visconti images.
I believe it very good because it clears up my
questions of Lo Scarabeo's suggested meanings that I've seen
over the years. Lo Scarabeo titles in the Tarocchi
d'Arte series still have the cards or booklets with the
old meanings. Mary Greer's book on reading reversals
give glimpses of traditional divinatory meanings. But
I now know more about the Italian iconography and
ideas of the cards when I read the Lo Scarabeo book.
Stuart Kaplan's Encyclopedia of the Tarot or the
U.S. Games versions of the Visconti decks (Pierpont
Morgan and Cary Yale) may satisfy with their excellent
commentary on tarot card variations and art history. Or you
might have checked out Andy's Playing Cards, Tom
Tadforlittle's Hermitage online. Other good resources include
Brian William's Renaissance Tarot book or deck or his
Minchiate set--these can be all you need to reference the
history of the cards.
Myself, I want a little more
information, from an Italian slant. This is where the book
might give you a fun and different perspective.
Giordarno Berti gives a nice introduction to the Visconti
Tarot cards that is covered in some of the little white
books of the newer Lo Scarabeo decks issued in the newer
2000 editions. However I have not seen another English
version yet discussing the majors, minors and courts in
the way that I found in Tiberio Gonard's portions of
the text. This is where the new book shines for me.
He writes about the art of cartomancy and shows
eight different spreads that I found useful for writing
exercises and getting to know the cards in the deck. His
discussion of the majors has a few historical examples and
interesting ideas, covered in about two pages each for each
card.
Gonard believes in general that the minors were
historically of value in gambling games rather than divination,
but he provides with each card at least half a page of
ideas and meaning suggestions. The ideas might range
from historical emblems in Italy to perhaps a similar
symbol in Buddhism. As an adjunct resource, I find it
adds to my mental ideas of the cards.
Overall I
do recommend this book and deck set to historical
fans. Some other people that I know have expressed a
wish to use elegant and lovely reproductions of older
decks such as the Visconti Gold for self-reflection and
ideas as well. They don't have any idea how to use
decks without scenes in the minor cards and the older
meanings puzzle them. I've heard one of my favorite art
historians might write that book someday---until he does,
here's a resource that I'd like to recommend to
others.
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