by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
Le
Tarot De Marseille
This
deck is suitable for any question you wish to ask of the Tarot.
by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
Le
Tarot De Marseille
This
deck is suitable for any question you wish to ask of the Tarot.
© 1992 published by Naipes H. Fournier, S.A. - Vitoria
There are a variety of Marseille Tarot reproductions or variations on the market today -- some of them being very old and expensive. This is the only Marseille Tarot deck that I own at this time, and this one is out of print, along with many of the other reproductions for this deck that are hard to find. I think Lo Scarabeo has a "Universal Tarot of Marseille" out at this time which is another replica of the well-known and much used Marseille Tarot varieties. The deck I am reviewing, however, was published in Spain by Naipes H. Fournier.
When people mention a Marseille styled deck, they are referring to the pip cards that only contain an image of the suit -- for example, the Two of Swords will show two decorated swords, the Four of Cups will show four cups on the card, etc. The court cards and the Majors are illustrated with more detail. I find this Tarot of Marseille to be very pleasing with its bright colors. Reds, blues, and yellows seem to be the prominent hues. It's a simplistic kind of deck, but the style has been very popular by experienced readers who rely more on their intuition and knowledge than they rely on a Tarot image.
Each suit has a different background color:
Cups -- a rose or peach toneThe Major Arcana and the the court card title are in French. Roman numerals are used for all of the card numbering on both the Majors and the Minors.
Swords -- blue
Wands -- green
Pentacles -- Chartreuse (a greenish-yellow tone)
This deck comes with a 78-page instruction booklet written in English, French, and Spanish. Brief meanings are provided for each card, including reversed meanings.
The art of this deck has been redone from the ancient woodcut designs of the Marseille. More color and depth has been added, but otherwise the designs are fairly consistent with the older styles that were in existence even before the popular Waite-Smith deck came into existence. Justice is 8 and Strength is 11 in this deck. The design on the back of the cards is a beige-toned geometrical pattern with seven flowers arranged on it in a reversible pattern. I don't find that displeasing, but I think a different color theme might have been nice -- perhaps some of the prominent coloring in the cards themselves would have been nice for the design. It's not the same back design as some of the older versions of the Marseille Tarot.
I wouldn't recommend a Marseille styled deck to a beginning reader who is just learning -- but those who have the edge of experience may find this Tarot style enjoyable, because you get the chance to read more intuitively than to read with a picture prompt from the Minor Arcana's pip cards. Additionally, this is a deck that may be pricey due to the fact that it's out of print . . . so if you find a good bargain on an older Marseille Tarot, be sure to grab it, as someone else may beat you to that if you hesitate. Through time, decks end up going out of print, and some of them do become very expensive, but are prized by collectors.
Velvet
Angel
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Velvet Angel
Size of Cards: 2-3/8" x 4-3/8"
Included with deck: A 78-page booklet in Spanish and English
Major Arcana:
Le Mat, Le Bateleur,
La Papesse, L'Imperatrice, L'Empereur, Le Pape, L'Amoureux
Le Chariot, La Justice
(card 8), L'Hermite, La Roue de Fortune, La Force (card 11),
Le Pendu, (Death - no
title), Temperance, Le Diable, La Maison Dieu, L'Etoile, La Lune,
Le Soleil, Le Jugement,
Le Monde
Suit Names: Baton (Wands), Coupe (Cups), Swords (Epee), Deniers (Pentacles)
Court Cards: Roy (King), Reyne (Queen), Cavalier (Knight), Valet (Page)
Back Design of Cards:
A
geometric design in beige coloring with flower emblems which can be seen
in the image below.
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 LE
TAROT DE MARSEILLE
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