The origin of playing cards is unknown, although they initially arrived in Europe in the late 14th century. The earliest records, mostly of card games being outlawed, are from Berne in 1367, and they appear to have spread throughout all of Europe quite quickly. Little is known about the design and quantity of these cards; the only significant information is found in a text written in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1377 by John of Rheinfelden, who, in addition to other versions, describes the basic pack as consisting of the four still-in-use suits of 13 cards, with the courts typically being the King, Ober, and Unter (“marshals”), although Dames and Queens were already well-known by that time.
The suits of Batons or Clubs, Coins, Swords, and Cups were one of the earliest card patterns to emerge. These suits are still present in classic decks of playing cards from Italy, Spain, and Portugal, as well as in contemporary (occult) tarot cards that originally appeared in the late 18th century.
Between 1440 and 1450, in Milan, Ferrara, Florence, and Bologna, additional trump cards with allegorical pictures were added to the conventional four-suit pack, resulting in the first known tarot decks. The additional cards, known simply as trionfi, later became known as “trumps” in English. These new decks were known as carte da trionfi, triumph cards, and trionfi. The first recorded account of trionfi can be discovered in a 1440 Florence court document referring to the transfer of two decks to Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta.
The about 15 Visconti-Sforza tarot decks that were painted in the middle of the 15th century for the rulers of the Duchy of Milan are the oldest surviving decks of tarot cards. Martiano da Tortona likely wrote about a missing tarot-like pack that Duke Filippo Maria Visconti had ordered between 1418 and 1425 because the painter he describes, Michelino da Besozzo, left for Milan in 1418 and Martiano himself passed away in 1425. He spoke of a deck of 60 cards, 16 of which featured Roman gods, and four different bird suits. The sixteen cards were referred to as “trumps” because Jacopo Antonio Marcello said that the now-deceased duke had created a new and magnificent category of triumphs in 1449. The Sola-Busca and Boiardo-Viti decks from the 1490s are two other early decks that also had classical themes.
The Minchiate enlarged deck was in use in Florence. Along with conventional tarot imagery, this 97-card deck also features astrological signs, the four elements, and other themes.
Tarot was not routinely condemned in its early history, despite a Dominican priest railing against the sinfulness of cards in a sermon from the 15th century (mostly because of their usage in gambling).
The initial decks of tarot cards are said to have been few in number because they were all hand-painted. The printing press was the first tool that made mass production of playing cards feasible. During the Italian Wars, tarot began to spread outside of Italy, first to France and then to Switzerland. The Tarot of Marseilles, which has Milanese origins, was the most widely used tarot deck in these two nations.
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What was the name of the first tarot card deck?
The first tarot decks were created in Italy in the 1430s by adding a fifth suit of 21 specially designed cards called trionfi (“triumphs”) and an odd card called il matto to an already existing four-suited pack (“the fool).
What tarot deck is the most conventional?
Tarot cards by Rider-Waite The Rider-Waite deck is the most well-known deck of playing cards ever. Together with Arthur Edward Waite, Pamela Colman Smith produced this timeless work in 1909, and 113 years later, the detailed imagery is still powerful and arresting.
What is the name of the standard tarot deck?
All things witchy, including tarot cards, have enjoyed a resurgence of interest during the past several years. Some people use tarot as a helpful social tool to encourage connections that they might not have otherwise made with friends. Others view the tarot as a spiritual art form and a potent life-management tool.
Tarot cards were initially intended primarily as a parlor game, despite the mystical connotations they have acquired in popular culture. The cards have been in use since at least the middle of the 15th century, and the earliest known decks were from different regions of Italy. The tarot was not first employed for divinatory (or occult) purposes until the 18th century. In the 1780s, Antoine Court and Jean-Baptiste Alliette are credited for making tarot readings commonplace in Paris.
There is a sizable group of people who find tarot cards informative and entertaining, if not necessarily supernatural, in between those who think it’s a joke and those who believe they are real magic. Tarot reading (for oneself and for others) can be an enlightening past time, whether it turns into a pastime or a full-time business.
You will need a tarot deck first. The Rider-Waite deck, created by illustrator Pamela Colman Smith and released in 1910, is the most well-known and widely used. These cards are renowned for their straightforward symbolism, straightforward color palette (which includes lots of yellow, sky blue, and gray), and straightforward imagery. The Rider-Waite deck is frequently recommended for novices since the meanings of the cards are frequently intuitive, and in the event that they are not, there are several interpretation aids available in books and online. Many decks, notably the Rider-Waite, include a small piece of paper outlining each of the most typical interpretations for each card.
The Rider-Waite is not the only deck available to beginning readers, despite being the most well-known. Although the Wild Unknown deck is less intuitive for beginners, it is extremely attractive. Like the Rider-Waite on steroids, the Morgan Greer deck has comparable symbols but with larger, bolder faces and more vibrant, variegated hues. There are contemporary, varied decks as well as decks with Game of Thrones themes. The most crucial step is choosing a deck with pictures and symbolism that appeal to you. Since you will be utilizing them, they must match your personality and sense of style.
Where did tarot card reading begin?
Things become a little mystical around Halloween, when horror movies are playing nonstop on TV and your holiday-loving neighbors’ yards are decorated with grotesque decorations. We decided to explore the background of tarot cards in honor of one of the most enchanted seasons of the year.
Tarot cards were initially just another card game, one that was a lot like the bridge that is played today, despite the fact that we now link them with the occult. Like other decks, the earliest known tarot cards appeared in Europe in the fifteenth century, with the wealthiest households in Italy purchasing the most well-liked sets. It was expensive to commission what was practically dozens of tiny paintings because there was no printing press and only hand-painted cards were available.
These early tarot cards, known as tarocchi in Italian, included suits, trump cards, and even pips, just like any other deck.
While others experimented, the mainstream use of tarot cards for divination didn’t begin until Frenchman Jean-Baptise Alliette produced the first comprehensive book on tarot card reading in the late 1700s. Under the alias Etteilla, he published his own deck along with a user’s manual for the cards. He incorporated ideas about astronomy and the four elements to give each card a purpose. He asserted that he had taken extensive inspiration from the Book of Thoth, a work purportedly penned by Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom.
He incorporated ideas about astronomy and the four elements to give each card a purpose.
Etteilla was the first to allocate the cards to a certain sequence and spread, including a front-to-back method that is still in use today. He issued a revised edition of his manual in 1791 when his writings gained popularity, making him the first known professional tarot reader.
The next significant change to tarot cards occurred in 1909. You’ve probably seen the pictures for the Rider-Waite deck, created by publisher William Rider and tarot reader A. E. Waite. The Rider-Waite deck, like Etteilla, came with a written manual explaining how to interpret the cards and what each one meant. When the cards in this deck were arranged together, the intricate scenes presented a narrative. The Rider-Waite Deck was updated and reprinted in the 1970s, along with a new instruction manual by Stephen Kaplan, which led to the most recent tarot card renaissance.
What Tarot card is the rarest?
The Fool is typically seen as a card from the Major Arcana when performing a tarot reading. Contrary to popular belief, the Fool does not fall under either category in tarot card games. Instead, the Fool serves a function that is distinct from both the simple suit cards and the trump cards. As a result, the Fool has no number assigned to it in the majority of tarot decks that were initially created for playing games. Although Waite assigns the Fool the number 0, in his book, the Fool is discussed between Judgment (number 20) and The World (number 21). The Tarocco Piemontese is the only traditional game deck that numbers the Fool 0. Since the 1930s, the corner index for the Fool in Tarot Nouveau decks has frequently been a black inverted mullet. The Fool is one of the most expensive cards in practically all tarot games.
What kind of tarot deck should I use, and does it matter?
It’s a journey that is ultimately personal. According to psychic medium Michael Cardenas, there is “no one correct deck” to begin with. “Each person will have a different deck to bond with. Find the one who will actually speak to you.”
What tarot decks do experts use?
The following are the top 5 tarot card sets, in the opinion of expert readers:
- the tarot deck by Rider-Waite-Smith. Amazon.
- The Modern Tarot Library’s Modern Witch tarot deck. Amazon.
- Tarot deck from St. Croix.
- Tarot deck by Morgan-Greer. Tarot.com.
- The tarot deck and book set called The Wild Unknown. The Unknown Wild.
What kind of religion are tarot cards?
Tarot cards are frequently cited as a component of New Age thought and practice along with astrology, aspects of Buddhism, paganism, and First Nations teachings in the eclectic scholarly approach to the New Age.
What Tarot deck should I buy first?
Because it’s little and protected by a tin (2.25 inches by 3.75 inches or 5.7 centimeters by 9.5 centimeters), I suggest this particular version. It serves as both my travel companion and reference guide. I appreciate how the muted colors in this edition give the deck an old vibe. The Major-Minor Arcanas and the suits are explained by the LWB using traditional explanations (wands, cups, swords and pentacles). This is an excellent choice for your first deck.