Italian Neoclassical Tarot Deck (tarocchi Neoclassico) - Review

This Ancient Tarot of Lombardy deck is a neoclassical reproduction from the original deck distributed around 1810 in Italy. The first was printed from fine metal etching plates and hand-shaded. The name of the cardmaker F. Gumppenberg is given on the expert of cups (coppe). Duty stamps of the period can be seen on the ace of blades (spade). The card titles are in Italian, and majors have numbered in Roman numerals aside from The Fool and Death cards. Numbers for the minor arcana are given in the upper left and lower right corners. The suit images follow the Spanish style in that the individual wands (bastoni) and swords are shown independently on the numbered cards. The Marseilles-style pips are clean and elegant. Hand-drawn borders complement the delicate line drawings and coloring. In a fascinating inversion of the standard, the Lovers card shows a lady between two men. This deck is distributed by Lo Scarabeo of Italy and sold by Llewellyn in the US.

Name: Ancient Tarots of Lombardy

Alternate Names: Tarocchi Neoclassico

Author: F. Gumppenberg

Cards: 78

Major Arcana: 22

Minor Arcana: 56

Card Dimensions: 2 1/4" x 4 1/2"

Publisher: Lo Scarabeo (2001)

Included: title card, instruction cards