Mantegna Tarot [Cards]

For sheer interest and beauty, it is hard to beat the Mantegna Tarot. This 50-card deck is actually an ancestor of the modern Tarot which has been exquisitely updated by Atanas Alexandrov Atanassov. Steeped in Medieval symbolism and philosophy, the deck is divided into 5 classes of 10 cards each, each covering different spheres of life, or as the accompanying booklet explains, "social situation(s), the intellectual dimensions, and the spiritual worlds." Also included are 25 beautifully rendered 'cheat' cards that have short, easy to remember meanings for each card of the main deck. The images of the Mantegna deck are colored in soft but vibrant pastels and embossed with silver-foiled filligree, making each card a lovely work of art. The gorgeous images alone would make this deck a worthy addition to any Tarot collection. This deck does have a few problems however, and criticisms would include the following: at times, something seems to have been lost in the translation to English of the divinatory meanings and the result is a sometimes terse one-word, not very illuminating explanation of the card. Meditating a bit on each card and comparing the meaning given in the accompany booklet with the 'cheat' card helps to overcome this problem. Unfortunately, some of the meanings given in the booklet seem to differ from the meanings given on the 25 'cheat' cards, so again, a little thought is required to clarify the card's meaning. Finally, in the booklet the meanings of the Knight and the Gentleman have been reversed from what it shows on the 'cheat' cards, so don't be confused by this error. In spite of these minor problems, with a tiny bit of effort, the Mantegna Tarot is a fascinating and really beautiful meditative tool/divinatory system for anyone looking for something a little different.

Though not a conventional 78-card tarot deck, and really an oracle deck of five suits that originated about 500 years ago, this is a beautiful reproduction of a gorgeous piece of Renaissance artwork. One story has it that the original deck was actually commissioned by a Pope, for use as a card game. This version has been carefully printed with a lovely palette of colours, and then enhanced with silver foil stamping, to make it literally shine, twinkle, and dazzle the users. It is an exceptional example of card-makers art. More than worthy for the card game, divination, or for the serious collector, this deck has very few visual equals!

A reworking of the deck (according to Jonathan Dee) made for Pope Pius II during the Congress of Mantua in 1459, and attributed -incorrectly- to the Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna. This is not a "Tarot" deck. It is an "Encyclopedic" deck representing a model of the universe. The number of cards, their symbolism, their organisation, and the way they are used are all very different from a standard Tarot. This deck consists of 50 cards, in 5 groups of 10, and they gradually go up in rank, from #1, "The Wretch," all the way to #50 "The Divine Light," the Source of All Things. Group 1 (cards 1-10) are the "Human Conditions" which depict various strata of rank & prestige in late Medeival society. Next (cards 11-19) are the "Muses" representing forms of artistic expression, ruled by #19, Apollo, the Prince of Knowledge. Cards 21-30 are the "Arts and Sciences" the general fields of study in Medeival academia. 31-40 are "Geniuses and Virtues," which starts with Intellect, Senses, Vital Functions, and the seven virtues. The last 10 cards are the seven Planets, the Upper Heavens, Prime Mover, and Divine Light.

The artwork is excellent, the symbolism is valid, the deck is actually quite fascinating, but I can't give it any more than 3 stars because the publishers have insisted on calling it a "Tarot" when it isn't. This deck represents an entirely different system, and it's going to be confusing and distracting for students who are trying to learn the traditional Tarot.