A Massive Compendium of Tarot Cards Explores 600 Years of the Divine Decks
Art
Illustration
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August 8, 2020
Grace Ebert
By Mina Mond, Wild Men Tarot, 2014, France. All images © Taschen, shared with permission
Compiling more than 500 cards, a new book sequences an incredibly diverse array of metaphysical decks from medieval to modern times. Tarot is arranged in order from the Major to the Minor Arcana and examines the meaning behind the varied illustrations, considering who created them and when. From a whimsical, black-and-white rendering of The Lovers by Madison Ross to French occultist Jean-Baptise Alliette’s pastel series, the compendium explores the collaborations between mystics and artists that have been happening for centuries. Many of the pieces included in the 520-page book are being shown outside their respective decks for the first time.
Tarot, which you can purchase on Tashcen’s site, is the debut tome in the publisher’s ongoing Library of Esoterica series. You also might enjoy paging through Salvador Dalí’s surreal deck.
Madison Ross, The Lovers, 2019, Canada
From Visconti-Sforza, Yale Deck, mid-15th century, Italy
Elisabetta Trevisan, Crystal Tarot, 1994, Italy
By Jean-Baptise Alliette, France
By Olivia M. Healy, The Fool, 2019, England
By Jean-Baptise Alliette, Etteilla, France
By Minka Sicklinger, Bryn McKay, Eve Bradford, Strength, United States
From Visconti-Sforza, Yale Deck, mid-15th century, Italy
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