Historical Tarot

Just to let you know that an exhibition about the history of tarot will take place in Bergamo in Italy, from 02/27/2026 to 06/02/2026. We can expect to see several cards from the Visconti-Sforza deck, and, hopefully some cards from other gilted decks from the XVth century. Link : https://lacarrara.it/en/mostra/tarocchi-2026/

https://rinascimentoitalianartenglish.wordpress.com/2020/02/27/the-oldest-method-of-reading-the-tarot/ I'd ask Mr. Berti - he's very nice - but every time I engage him in conversation, I end up buying something. And I just CAN'T right now. 😁

I was wondering if there is a Lismon Etteilla (Etteilla II) facsimile-deck currently available to purchase anywhere? I’m also looking for a facsimile of Jeu de la Princesse. I have managed to order Lo Scarabeo’s 1996 Ancient Esoteric Tarot. It is described as a ‘modified’ version of Princesse but I’m unsure as to how/if it differs from the earlier Dusserre edition. Any information would be great!

I just got a notification via email that Mr. Berti has re-released the Milanese Tarocco of Edoardo Dotti, 1862 ! For fans of the Sopraffino style deck, this might be a fun alternate. Berti says his edition is also environmanetally freindly: non plastic, safe inks etc. Looks lovely.. ❤️

I am delighted to present a translation of Robert Klein's seminal article "The Illuminated Tarot Cards of the 15th century", with an illuminating introduction and notes by Ross Caldwell. This is a landmark article on the history of the early Visconti tarot decks.

I got my copy of J-M David's Reading the Marseille Tarot yesterday. Haven't read much of it yet, but just came across this in the chapter on Le Batteleur: "... possibly the first description of an actual performance of the cups and balls that has survived is from Alciphron of Athens, who, in the second century C.E., described a performance of the cups and balls by a man using 'a three-legged table, upon which he placed three small dishes, under which he concealed some small white pebbles.'" (p. 32, emphasis in the original) There’s that three-legged table! I have long been skeptical about how much influence “ancient sources”…

I'm not sure if this blog has been shared on the forum before, but I found it a few days ago and thought it worth sharing for those interested in pythagorean number symbolism and Etteilla's deck: https://neopythagoreanisminthetrot.blogspot.com/2012/05/magician-and-aces.html?m=1 I've yet to read it all, but so far it's proven to be a really interesting blog that does a great job comparing pythagorean sources on the meaning of numbers and Etteilla's (and other decks) majors and pip card meanings. The author has a few other blogs too, all Etteilla related, which can be found on the homepage Hopefully new and experienced Etteilla fans can get some…

Last night, I did a reading on myself. I cleansed my room, my aura, and the cards. I asked Spirit to reveal my shadows energy. While shuffling for about 1 minute, 5 cards plopped out of the deck at once. As I flipped them over, the 1st card is the six of wands in reversed. The next 4 are major arcana cards. 1. THE HIGH PRIESTESS. 2. JUDGEMENT. 3. THE HIEROPHANT. 4. THE WORLD. I WOULD LOVE SOME CLARITY ON THIS MESSAGE, IF THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE SO KIND AND OFFER YOUR FEEDBACK. SEnding Love and Light to all!!!

The Morgan Library & Museum is hosting an exhibition from June 26 through October 4, 2026. I just stumbled over this info in an article in The New Yorker. There was a fun illustration that is probably not part of the exhibition but was done by an illustrator for the magazine (Nicholas Stevenson). So, what do we have here? The 2 of Swords, the Hermit and the King of Wands (?), I suppose. And our psychotic psychic (Yayoi Kusama) is holding up the Sun. So mainly it's about us having fun, sharing and feeling free in our expression. But there is a lot of ambivalence, evaluation or perhaps even retreat preventing us…

I don't want to repeat a labour anyone else already has done, so I write this message. Has anyone analysed the place of "Adelgonde Perenna" (pseud. for Gabrielle Paban, 1826) and "Johannès Trismégiste" (1843) in the history of the evolution of French style cartomancy? Paban/Perenna wrote L'Art de tirer les cartes et les tarots, ou cartomancie Française, Égyptienne, Italienne et Allemande; moyen infallible de dire la bonne aventure, Expliqué d'après les découvertes profondes des Égyptiens, des Bohémiennes, des Sibylles et des Cabalistes célèbres de tous les pays (1823). "Trismégiste" wrote L'Art de tirer les cartes, révélations complètes…