The Golden Tarot: The Visconti-Sforza Deck Hardcover – March 21, 2013

The Amazon product description states that "The images on the cards have been faithfully recreated...."I bought the product knowing that I was taking a risk. The "faithfully recreated" may be mostly true but is a little hit or miss in some details. I will be considering shelling out for another publisher's Visconti-Sforza deck that is more expensive than this one. (I occasionally buy a handful of competing products to compare them.) The product box comes with a paper billing the cards as "authentically recreated"; according to the dictionary, phrases such as "authentic reconstruction" are used to mean that something follows the original exactly.So, how close is it? Well, I was familiar enough with the original images that I could spot some differences immediately. I then compared the Golden Tarot's recreations (redrawings or repaintings) to photographic images of the original cards; some can now be found using the search function at the Web site of the Morgan Library & Museum which has some of the physical cards in its keeping.Compared to the images of the original deck at the Morgan Library's Web site, the broad strokes are good but the fine details are often a little different, simplified, or omitted in the recreations.The facial features and the body proportions and postures of the figures are mostly accurate. Figure outlines throughout are more obvious. The faces and figures of people are sometimes a little flatter in the Golden Tarot's recreations, missing some of the fine painterly gradations of skin tone of the originals. (See photo.) And, conversely, sometimes color/contrast is heightened a little more than originally for lips and cheeks, which adds back some dimensionality but without as much of the originals' deftness. I noticed that for some cards, beards and hair have a few more curls in the originals than in the recreations.A more surprisingly omission to me is that, in the recreated version of The Wheel, all of the blue six-spoked elements are completely missing from the centermost figure. From a design standpoint, they are not arbitrary; they mirror -- and one of them is the reinforcing visual center for -- the large spoked yellow wheel of the image. It would have been easy to paint them into the recreated version. Was this an oversight?In the recreation of The Empress, the floral design of the gorgeous robe has been reduced in elegance -- with some petals, leaves or clusters omitted or very sketchily (badly) indicated. Its gold metallic sheen lost in translation; the reflective effect of gold leaf is difficult to manually imitate with ordinary color media. I noticed several cards where a questionable color has been introduced where in the original much of the paint had flaked off. For example, the King of Denari (coins) has one of his leggings (covering his right leg) given a bicolor treatment which seems unjustified by what remains of the paint in the original.The eyes of horses bearing knights have been simplified and cartoonishly prettified -- losing the rather interesting character of the originals. It should not have been hard to draw the eyes like the originals. Manes, some noses, a bridle and fetlocks have been smoothed or simplified. Though proportions and postures look very accurate, the linework makes the horses daintier (and more innocuous) than do the originals. (See photo.)Some of the spiral-armed stars in the golden background tiles do not spiral in the same direction as their original counterparts, not to mention being too loosely (well, sloppily) drawn -- and there should be eight arms to each star, not just six. The same rendering of background is used from card to card, by some modern means of image compositing, whereas in the originals the position of tiles and the tile details differ between cards because each card is hand-made.I have not made a survey of the entire deck, but mention all of the above to show that there are little additions, alterations and omissions in a few of the cards that I did look at closely.Stylistically, the recreations -- while a strong and fair copy in many respects -- do not quite have the master's touch of the originals. But at the same time that I look over the cards with a critical eye, I feel some sympathy and appreciation for the work of the illustrator who accepted the challenge of redoing this particular famous deck. I trained to draw and paint well as a young art student, and I know how much focused effort and practice it can take to consistently produce quality work, especially when working under business constraints and extreme deadline pressure. To redraw a famous work of this calibre and having so much detail is a daunting notion, even if one had the best photographic references at hand and made the best use of modern technological tools for image editing. (And I suspect that the references available a few years back were not as good as today's for the historical deck.)Some will surely consider it a plus that in the Golden Tarot deck one does not see the damage of aged originals. Those have been hidden from our profane eyes. And in the recreations, some of the golden objects (e.g., cups, coins, golden clothing) are rendered easier to see, being given stronger outlines and more color differentiation from the golden backgrounds.Let me briefly discuss the book and the box. The included book is attractive, with a hard cover, about 5.25" x 6.75". It appears well made, as is the sturdy paperboard box for storing the book and the deck. (Amazon.com has this product mistakenly categorized as paperback.)Both the book cover and the box have a lovely decorative gloss varnish spot treatment -- an elegant swirling vine pattern that stands out against a matte background. The product photo at Amazon makes the vine pattern look lighter against a darker background, but under normal light it is the reverse -- the vines are glossy and darker except where it directly reflects a light source. The box is magnetized, so that the lid snaps shut -- an interesting and nice touch.The book has threaded binding, good paper with a pleasing coated finish and clearly printed type and color illustrations. The illustrations are mainly of the card recreations but there are a few historical paintings relating to the subject, and a few cards from other types of decks. The pages are graphically well designed. The title page includes a artist's byline with the words "card illustrations" (a more modest phrase than "faithful recreations"). Many readers may overlook the byline and its implications, and be unaware that the Visconti-Sforza cards depicted in the book are not photographic reproductions of the original cards, and that the card illustrations they see are a stand-in. This easy blurring of distinctions is a little troubling.The book looks like a worthwhile read for a general audience. There are six chapters. Chapters 1, 2 and 3 -- History, The Divine Tarot, and The Road to Wisdom -- cover some of the history of the tarot, and the evolution of ideas about it. The writing is lucid, honest, light and enjoyable, giving us a digestible and colorful taste of historical figures and events, and insight into the relevant cultural and philosophical trends.Chapters 4 and 5 -- The Trumps and The Four Suits -- cover the symbolism and divinatory meanings of the trump cards and the suit cards, with descriptions and pictures of the cards. The descriptions include some historical context for the imagery and symbolism, a welcome treatment that adds depth to our appreciation. The 6th and final chapter -- The Tarot Journey -- offers spiritual encouragement and a little advice, and then delves into three example card readings using a Three-Card Spread, a Five-Card Spread, and a version of the Celtic Cross spread.This is an attractive product overall, decorative and intriguing enough to invite conversation over one's coffee table, and good for the price. If I were the product designer, I would take some pride in how it turned out. Still, there is a tension between the focus on history plus authenticity in the product and the redrawn deck which, though more faithful than not, cuts some corners in execution. That warrants a more carefully qualified claim, and more so because the original deck is famed not only for its historical importance but particularly for its beauty and detail. It may not matter to many who will find the recreated cards beautiful as they are. But those who might care, or who are very familiar with the original images, will want to be aware of exactly what they are getting if they buy this product.

The Golden Tarot: The Visconti-Sforza Deck is a set that includes a reproduction of the Visconti-Sforza deck, a hardcover book by Mary Packard and a satin cloth. All of these are included in a nicely decorated box. Albeit some issues on the layout of the images on these cards, this set is a good value. However, it may not be for beginners, or even for owners of other Visconti decks that expect something new.THE CARDS:The cards in this set come in their own black box, stamped with The Moon card on front and the back of the cards on the back. The label "The Visconti-Sforza Deck"is written in a matte golden color on the lid.The cards are 6.5 " x 3.25", and together these make a deck 1.25" tick. The back of these card is almost reversible, but the repetitive golden leaf motif on red background is oriented towards the top of the card. The front of the cards are bordered golden, with a red or brown frame around the image. The cards feel slick on the back and maybe a bit more textured on the front.I take that the matte golden border is what the description refers to as "gold metallic ink". There are no golden metallic effects on the actual edge of the cards as seen on some luxurious Tarot decks. To be honest, I wasn't expecting one for the price, but I was hoping that the cards were at least 6" long judging from the size of the external box.Since this is my first Visconti-Sforza deck, I could only compare the images on these cards to others over the internet, and these look good. If I look closely, it seems that the images were reproduced from photos of original artwork as I can perceive a canvas like pattern on them. Also, the edge of some images are not well defined at times, similar as having a painting on a cloth.In addition, many of the cards have their images off centered, some more pronounced than others. I could only count 20 that were centered. In close inspection, I noticed that many of the off centered images were in fact not quite as rectangular as the card itself.One final thing to note is the quality of the card-stock. They seem not quite as good as cards from main tarot makers, but they are sturdy and may hold their own with light to normal use.THE BOOK:The included book is a 6.5" x 5.25" hard cover; black with glossy black vine-like designs. Written by Mary Packard, this book is only 144 pages long, but is fully illustrated with color pictures. The book is organized as follows:ForewordChapter 1: HistoryChapter 2: The Divine TarotChapter 3: The Road to WisdomChapter 4: The TrumpsChapter 5: The Four SuitsChapter 6: The Tarot JourneyAcknowledgementsThe forward is written by Robert M. Place.Chapters 1 to 3 are used to present a very brief history of the Visconti-Sforza deck, and the Tarot cards from card game to divination tool and most modern use as tool for enlightenment.In Chapter 4, the trumps are presented one each two pages, one page for the picture of the trump and another, for another for card name in English and Italian, description, upright phrase and key words and reversed key words.In Chapter 5, the pips are presented two or three per page, with card picture, name, brief description, upright and reversed phrases and keywords. However, the court cards are presented one per page with card picture, name, brief description, upright and reversed phrases and keywords.In Chapter 6, a few spreads are presented with an example, including: The Three-Card Spread, The Five-Card Spread and The Celtic Cross.I found the book entertaining, but nothing spectacular. Similar to what I would expect of a Little White Book. However, it may serve as a starting point for research for some.THE CLOTH:This set also include a purple satin cloth for laying the cards. This cloth is 18" by 18", but otherwise plain. Nice, but nothing special to talk about.THE BOX:The cards, book and cloth are stored in a black box, decorated with a glossy black vine-like patterns as seen on the book. As such, this box is as elegant as advertised. The top is held in place with magnetic closure and snap into place when you close it. The box holds side-by-side the deck and book. The satin cloth is placed behind the book, folded inside an insert box.FINAL THOUGHTS:Overall, I found good value in this set, but keep in mind that:1) I didn't own any previous Visconti-Sforza decks2) I wanted this deck for contemplation of the imagery and3) I wanted to add a Visconti-Sforza deck to my Tarot collection.

Nice cards but they are no longer in a separate box. Also the little reading cloth is just pushed inside without the little separate case. Obviously a money saving for the publishers. This does mean that the cards are no longer Nice and tight which means that there will be some bending and distortion of the deck. The restoration is stunning and really deserves better cardstock and packaging. The book is Obviously based on the boring waite smith deck and virtually useless. So....bin the box and bin the book and use the small cloth as a pocket handkerchief and enjoy the cards after you have got them back into shape....sadly the hardback book is now a paperback but you are going to bin that....

For the money, this is an impressive tarot deck set. Good quality cards, book and the box is actually pretty awesome quality too.The only downside is the slightly cheap looking cloth but as I don't intend to use the cloth, it's no big deal.Highly recommended

This cannot be faulted for its presentation. The whole ensemble comes shrink sealed. The ornate box measures approximately 9” [230mm] x 7½” [190mm] x 2¾” [45mm]. Made of very stout card it features a flip top lid and the main body has a double card thickness. Inside is a slightly undersized 'A5' Hardback booklet of 143 numbered pages. The first 47 pages give a basic history and background. The remainder follows the pattern of giving a full page picture of the card and a brief interpretation. There is a similar sized thin card slipcase holding a purple cloth, which unfortunately is too small to hold the booklet. Finally the cards themselves come in their own thin card box. Inside, the pack itself is shrink sealed. Cards are a large 6½” [165mm] x 3¼” [85mm] so might pose a problem for some. Descriptions of the cards are easily found on various search engines.There are essentially at least 15 different ‘Viscontti or Sforza’ packs but this is basically a printing of the most complete set [4 missing and reinterpreted here]. This was commissioned to mark the 10th Wedding Anniversary [1451] of Fransesco Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti, who both feature heavily in them and is also variously known as the Colleoni-Baglioni and Francesco Sforza decks. The original cards were hand painted and the face cards had gilt backgrounds, which modern four colour printing cannot reproduce, while the "pip" cards are cream-coloured with a flower and vine motif. That said, the detail has been enhanced to reveal detail lost on other reproductions so it’s really a trade off of sorts. The Trump cards commonly called ‘major arcana’ are not numbered and instead of the usual King, Queen, Jack of ordinary playing cards, these have a fourth, the knight.This makes a superb ‘gift’ at an affordable price for anyone with an interest in playing Trumps [Tarot] or divination and is IMHO the best value deck 'out there'.

When this arrived I was so pleased with it that I immediately ordered a second one for a friend. The cards and book are of good quality and contain a comprehensive (if short) introduction to the genesis of Tarot cards and the ruling family who invented them.Regarding "authenticity" people should be aware though that these are NOT the cards from the Pierpoint Morgan Visconti Tarot that were taken from actual photographs of the original items, the cards in this set are redesigned digital approximations of Morgan cards. The re-imaging and repainting of the Morgan images that come with this package is open for debate and personal taste, some will love them and some will hate them and while some of the fine details have been clarified others have either been changed or removed completely with all the faces having been changed to look more "Jolly" than the sometimes dour expressions on the Pierpoint Morgan cards. Being lucky enough to own a set first edition of Pierpoint Morgan cards I would say that in some respects the embellishment on this version enhances them but also takes away a great deal in regards to the "Emotional Feel" of the cards while the four "Missing" cards in this set are completely different to the ones that were commissioned for the Morgan set so please be aware of this before purchase to avoid being disappointed. Personally I like this version of the Visconte cards and I am glad that this publisher hasn't coated them in an inch of shiny resin so no sunglasses are necessary when reading with these.The book itself is also a High quality product giving a brief outline of the Visconte family and the circumstances that brought the cards into being. However that being said this book is not for people with delicate sensibilities because it also exposes a lot of the late Eighteenth Century fraud claiming that Tarot cards were from Egypt so be discerning whom this is given to (I'v seen people having to be scraped off the ceiling because of the uncomfortable truth about the Egyips origins fraud).

Excellent book, great box with magnetic clip. The table cloth leaves lot to be desired.The actual deck is very large and not easy to shuffle and/or handle.There aren't any numeric references anywhere here: neither on major arcana nor the court cards.... Be also aware that the pip cards are rather... flat. I do understand though that this deck is perhaps one of the first examples... 16th century. From the renaissance evolved to what we know now as the Marseille tarot and the likes, but I simply can't connect with it and it will probably sit proudly in my collection.