There Are Many Different Tarot Decks Available
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Tarot decks were first described in the early 15th century in relation to Martiano da Tortona who mentioned tarot-like games. The symbols on these early illustrations were Greek gods and goddesses with the suits made of four different types of birds, which differed greatly from the regular Italian suits. These forefathers of tarot counted only sixteen cards, but they surely enjoyed great popularity. Later, during the same century other mentions of tarot decks are found in Italian documents. Given the heraldic, social, poetical and philosophical interpretations of the cards, modern researchers are surely impressed by the vividness of the symbolism and the ideology behind it.
The oldest tarot decks preserved to our times were designed according to the specifications of the Visconti family. There are sixty-six cards in the deck and they are displayed at the Yale University Library of New Haven. Another well-known deck was painted by Bonifacio Bembo at the request of Maria Visconti, two cards from these decks were lost or missed from the very beginning. The design and fame of these cards have grown under the Visconti-Sforza patronage.
Plenty of modern imitations combine batons, swords, coins and cups with trump cards that represent a clear image of traditional iconography of the old times.
An analysis of the first-made tarot decks indicates a reduced number given the painstaking effort required for their design. Tarot decks have survived from Marseilles, Egypt or Switzerland and in time they came to be associated with magic and mysticism. People with occult occupations were the first to embrace and widely use the cards for all divination purposes that have survived to our modern world too.
Tarot cannot be given a clear origin, yet, some scientists revealed that the etymology of the word tarot is Egyptian, meaning the royal road. In the line of tradition, Gypsies are said to have spread the tradition of card reading in the first place, but we don't know for sure when tarot started to gain mass attention. What we know for sure is that Eliphas Levi introduced tarot decks to the English speaking world, initially for aristocrats and then among the middle classes.
The oldest tarot decks preserved to our times were designed according to the specifications of the Visconti family. There are sixty-six cards in the deck and they are displayed at the Yale University Library of New Haven. Another well-known deck was painted by Bonifacio Bembo at the request of Maria Visconti, two cards from these decks were lost or missed from the very beginning. The design and fame of these cards have grown under the Visconti-Sforza patronage.
Plenty of modern imitations combine batons, swords, coins and cups with trump cards that represent a clear image of traditional iconography of the old times.
An analysis of the first-made tarot decks indicates a reduced number given the painstaking effort required for their design. Tarot decks have survived from Marseilles, Egypt or Switzerland and in time they came to be associated with magic and mysticism. People with occult occupations were the first to embrace and widely use the cards for all divination purposes that have survived to our modern world too.
Tarot cannot be given a clear origin, yet, some scientists revealed that the etymology of the word tarot is Egyptian, meaning the royal road. In the line of tradition, Gypsies are said to have spread the tradition of card reading in the first place, but we don't know for sure when tarot started to gain mass attention. What we know for sure is that Eliphas Levi introduced tarot decks to the English speaking world, initially for aristocrats and then among the middle classes.
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