The Da Vinci Tarot
By A. Atanassov & I. Ghiuselev
Published by Lo Scarabeo (2005)
Price $22.00 USD
There are several art-inspired decks out there, drawing inspiration form various eras and artists. Some definitely work better than others. The Bosch and Breugel decks, for example, while variously fascinating, whimsical and surreal, do not lend themselves easily to tarot reading. Kat Black's Golden Tarot, on the other hand, uses little known late medieval and early Renaissance artists in a deck that is visually stunning and a pleasure to read from or with.
So, too, is The Da Vinci Tarot. Leonardo da Vinci was, of
course, the original Renaissance Man--an engineer, artist and writer of
extraordinary perception and intelligence. There is no evidence whatsoever that
he himself owned a tarot deck, but the game of Trionfi (from which the Tarot
originates) was very popular during his era, and it is entirely possible that he
had seen or even played with one. Certainly, he would have been very familiar
with the imagery and symbolism used in the Trumps. It is therefore fitting that
there should be a Tarot deck bearing his name.
Designers Atanassov and Ghiuselev used Leonardo's art mostly as inspiration, but
some of his better known images do show up, such as the iconic Mona Lisa as The
High Priestess, wearing her trademark enigmatic smile and a bishop's mitre.
Several figures from The Last Supper also make an appearance: we see a serene
Christ performing the first Eucharist in the Eight of Cups and a disgruntled
Judas Iscariot glaring at his Saviour in the Five of Swords.
Certainly, this is not a light-hearted deck. Some of the images in these cards are frankly dark and disturbing. The Seven of Swords, for example--always a difficult card--shows a savage war machine composed of whirling blades, with severed bodies in its path. The same device appears in the Death card, surmounted by an emaciated and half-naked woman clutching a skull in one hand and a bow in the other. The Hanged Man, typically displayed hanging from one foot, is in this deck quite literally a Hanged Man, dangling from a noose around his neck. Even The Fool, which is commonly a card of wondrous enthusiasm and childlike joy, is illustrated with one of da Vinci's flying machines, with sinister bat-like wings, soaring over the crenellated walls of a fortress.
Altogether, there is something anguished and mildly grotesque to the art of this deck. The Kings are all gaunt, stern geriatrics, and the young men in the deck are almost invariably engaged in martial warfare. The females fare better, generally robust, attractive and richly attired, but detached: only the Queen of Swords looks directly out of the card in what appears to be a subtle challenge to the viewer.
(Click here to see images from The Da Vinci Tarot)
The deck is visually arresting, rendered in muted sepia and pastel tones. Each card of the Major Arcana features the name of the card written in da Vinci's backwards script somewhere in the imagery, a nice historical touch. The back of the deck shows the Queen of Wands in mirror image so that reversed cards are not immediately apparent.
You might think that I am panning this deck, but to be honest, I really like it, because of, not in spite of, its darkness. Although this is not a deck I would use with clients that are feeling especially fragile emotionally, who might find it a little too graphic, there are others who appreciate its no-nonsense message, straightforward messages. This deck tells it like it is.
That being said, it is not a deck for beginners, since the imagery can be challenging to interpret. But experienced tarot practitioners might find this a fresh, bold experience and a real change from the usual, more traditional, fare.
(Click here to buy The Da Vinci Tarot from Tarot Garden)