The Gilded Tarot
Deck by Ciro
Marchetti
Companion book by Barbara Moore
© 2004 Ciro Marchetti, Published
by Llewellyn
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The
Gilded Tarot is a real 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! Artist Ciro
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 sapphires, 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. The back of the cards feature 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 most people 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 to what might be
considered a "weaker" point of the deck (at least for me)
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 choose to use either of
them. I'm not a fan of the white boxes or the
organdy bags that come with some decks. However you
can choose to make or buy a tarot bag of your
choice. Or you could decorate the plain white box
and make it uniquely your own if you felt the creative
desire to do so.
The Gilded Tarot Companion is
a 150-page book written by Barbara Moore. From the
back of the companion book:
"The
Gilded Tarot Companion is your guide to the
enchanting images and timeless wisdom of the visionary
tarot. An artist's statement from deck creator Ciro
Marchetti sheds light on the genesis of the deck and gives
you unique insight into the creative process.
Then tarot expert Barbara Moore guides you
through every step of the tarot reading. You'll
learn about the structure of the tarot deck and get tips
on how the different suits and card numbers can add
insight to your readings. In-depth descriptions and
interpretations of each card in the deck are included,
along with exercises throughout the book to help you
synthesize your own unique, accurate card meanings.
Even if you've never read the cards before,
you'll get valuable tips to help you through the process:
- how to store and care for your cards
- the best ways to prepare for a reading
- how to choose a significator card
- things to consider when asking a question
If you
like this magical and enchanting deck, you're also sure to
love Ciro Marchetti's other Tarot decks, including Tarot
of Dreams and Legacy
of the Divine Tarot. You won't be
disappointed! In fact, if you read the Tarot or you
are a collector, you may find yourself wanting to own all
of his magical decks! Ciro's work has easily become
favorites for me in the world of tarot! And his work
is a favorite among my clients as well, as any of Ciro's
tarot decks tend to be a "go to" deck for a lot of my
regular customers.
Visit Ciro
Marchetti's Dream
World website to see what other creative projects he
is currently at work on. He has also created the Oracle
of Visions, a 52-card non-tarot deck. While I
haven't yet invested in that deck at the time of this
writing, I love Ciro's magical art so much that I'm sure
it will be among my collections soon, especially since I
also enjoy working with other oracle decks outside of
Tarot.
Deck Details - The Gilded Tarot
Number
of Cards in Deck: 78
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:
