Deck by Ciro Marchetti

© 2004 Ciro Marchetti, Published by Llewellyn.  Companion book by Barbara Moore

The Gilded Tarot is truly a rare gem!  Each and every enchanting card is beautifully detailed with a depth and richness that draws you in from reality to fantasy.  It is truly a masterpiece in Tarot!  Marchetti has used virtual paints with a touch of photography in his work.  There is a richness of color and hue in the art -- the reds are like rubies, blues like sapphire, greens like emeralds, and purple can be compared to amethyst.  This is definitely not a plain deck.  The vivid colors are inviting and make you want to take part in the messages offered.

The deck follows traditional Tarot themes, but with imagery that is not like what you find in typical Tarot tradition.  This is not a Rider-Waite clone, but a deck that conveys the essential concepts through its images so that even a beginner can find it easy to work with.

Some of the cards do appear to be more traditional, while many others also have a mythical or fairy tale quality to them.  The artist has used animals in the cards to draw your attention to a particular action or to be there as an observer of the action represented in the card.  Marchetti also uses a lot of mechanical devices in his artwork which act as a bridge between the worlds of science and magic.

The cards are fully reversible with imagery on the back of the cards being just as detailed and lovely as the front of the cards.  On the backs are a jeweled sunburst on a blue shield, surrounded by vines.

Nudity in the deck is very minimal, with the Star card being the only one that has nudity, showing the top of half of the woman who is pouring water.  The High Priestess, Lovers, and Temperance card show scantily clad figures, but not nude.  There is probably less nudity in this deck than the traditional Rider Waite, so this is a deck that should not be offensive for anyone to use.

In my opinion, the best points of the deck are the color and detail that just grabs your attention and invites you in.  The only thing I see as what might be considered a "weaker" point of the deck is that the author uses a blue gem for Swords and an orange one for the suit of Cups.  Traditionally we find orange or yellow for the Swords, and blue is reserved for the watery element of Cups.  Marchetti indicates that he made this choice because he sees water as "colorless" and only being blue when reflecting the sky, and in his association he sees water as "golden" because the sun sets over the water.  Even though this author chose to handle the suit color association differently than what we've become accustomed to, the cards are definitely a delight to look at and use!

This deck and book set come packaged in a box that opens from the top.  A black mesh bag and a white box are included to store the cards in.

If you like this magical and enchanting deck . . . you're also sure to love Ciro Marchetti's Tarot of Dreams deck as well!  You won't be disappointed!  In fact, you may find yourself wanting to own both decks!  These decks have easily become favorites for me!

I would give the Gilded Tarot deck 5 stars!! 

Number of Cards in Deck:78 cards (22 Major/56 Minor)

Size of Cards:2-1/2" x 4-4/2"
Easy to handle and work with.  Cards are flexible, but durable.

Included with deck:  150-page companion book.  A box and black mesh bag are included for the cards.

Major Arcana: (Only card 12 has been renamed from traditional structure -- the Hanged Man is titled "Hanging Man" in this deck)
Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant,
Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice,
Hanging Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon,
Sun, Judgement, World

Suit Names: Cups, Wands, Swords, Pentacles

Court Cards:  King, Queen, Knight, Page

Back Design of Cards:

GILDED TAROT SET This Deck is Available as a Book/Deck Set from Amazon.com:

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