Golden Tarot - tarot decks

Price: US $14.45

ProductID: alt0060

• The Golden Tarot is a sumptuous collage Tarot deck, skilfully blending medieval and Renaissance artwork into whole Tarot scenes. Long known as a digital deck, the Golden Tarot is now in print from US Games. The edition comes in a sturdy box with a companion book, and cards with gilt edges.

The cards of the Golden Tarot have been collaged entirely from artwork of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance period, and in symbolism are fundamentally based on the Rider-Waite. The cards have similarities to the general layout and major symbolic elements of Colman-Smith’s drawings, but have been re-interpreted in the totally different artistic style of late medieval and early Renaissance.

A great deal of work and skill went into choosing and blending the images from 13th to 16th century paintings to create Tarot scenes that look whole, and the overall effect is amazing. I knew that cards were composites, collages, but when riffling through them I soon forgot, as the elements naturally flowed into one another without abrupt edges, colour or lighting changes. (On first glance at the Fool, I thought it was one image. The source notes say it is actually four: the woman and garden, the dog and cliff, the silly hat, and the jewels.) I also found the authenticity of the images meant their facial expressions and body language convey their meaning and intent with great effect. One of my favourites was the Page of Swords – he looks like he is mere seconds away from swinging that sword with a flourish.

In addition to its impressive imagery, the deck is also beautifully presented. The cards have been given the luxury treatment, printed on stiff cardboard with gilded edges. (While this does mean they stick to each other and are a little stiff to work with at first, this becomes less of a problem with use.) The outer packaging is a box of thick, matte cardboard. Rather than a flip-top, the box has a separate lid that slides onto the base. Fitting neatly inside the box are the 78 Tarot cards (the backs are a low-key cream and tan pattern, reversible), a title card, a card with a few words from Kat Black, and a 200 page bound companion book.

The Golden Tarot book (which, despite its diminutive size, is a bound book and not a stapled booklet) is the same size as the cards. It doesn't spend any time on tarot basics, containing instead an introduction from the author describing the creative process and background to the cards, four spreads, the card meanings, and a substantial section citing the sources for each artistic element. As Kat has stayed away from well-known artworks - the Michelangelos, the da Vincis - to concentrate on lesser-known artists, this section is useful and surprisingly fascinating.

The printed card meanings are fairly rudimentary - a description of basic symbolism and short phrase meanings for upright and reversed positioning – but are enough to give the Tarot novice something to work with. The minor arcana interpretations also have an extra paragraph which explains the meaning of multiple Aces or whatever in a spread. (The same information is repeated for all matching suit cards, all the Aces, for example.) Readers who are familiar with Rider-Waite images and associated meanings shouldn’t need the book for card meanings beyond the initial perusal.

Kat Black, in her own words, "longed for a deck that looked genuinely Renaissance and yet was also easy to interpret". She’s definitely succeeded. The Golden Tarot is an easily accessible deck for beginners, or a wonderful addition to the collection for the more experienced reader. Highly recommended.