Customer Reviews

Ancient Tarot of Lombardy (English and Italian Edition)

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I acquired this deck looking for a less crude version of the Marseilles, but the Major Arcana have some interesting touches of their own. A kneeling figure kisses the Pope's feet, and the Hermit appears to contemplate a pair of serpents coiled in his path, although the artwork is sometimes a bit difficult to distinguish due to smudges. The deck also appears to have minute pencil scrawlings, as if Lo Scarabeo had reproduced a single available copy down to the previous owner's careless little doodles, producing a very authentic feel. Nonetheless, some of the characters look as if they've ceased their normal duties simply to pose for the artist. The Tower is completely intact rather than in flames, and other cards such as the Devil and Death face forward without their normal accompanying scenes. The departure from the normal symbolism may leave readers who are accustomed to the Marseilles feeling a little lost, whereas those who use the Waite-style decks will also face an adjustment, since the minors are not fully illustrated. I agree with those who've said the deck would be fine for a collector of historical Tarots or just for an admirer of beautifully drawn cards; however, as a reading tool I would recommend it only to the experienced because of its unique imagery.

I agree again with reviewer Janet Boyer whom I consider fully professional as I value her reviews. This is not to counter her opinion of the cards' appearance which are lackluster. Moreover, this my favorite deck I use for utility during phone counselings with querents. The meanings in the instruction cards furnished with the deck appear to be translated from Italian of the 1800's very simplistically while more modern meanings are pressing in the New Age now. I suggest the deck be given a second chance for its merits...Blessings...

I won't go into the historic or esoteric aspects of this wonderful deck---that has already been gone into scholarly detail and much better than I could. My purpose in creating a review is to praise the quiet understated beauty and accessibility I found in this tarot. This deck reminds me of a seasoned famous actor who, well at the pinnacle of his career has the grace and class to step back a bit and allow his fellow actors to shine as well. The pictures at first may seem a bit dull but I suspect it is because in this day and age of modern technoflash, we are accustomed to every thing being "in our face" so to speak. These cards call us back to an age when good taste and reserve were the norm and fine artists were employed for every simple advert or sign. When I talk about the great actor who has no problem stepping back, I mean when a person performs a reading using these cards the message will immediately spring forth, unfettered and bogged down by bright garish colours, a million symbols and glyphs, a multitude of hidden secrets known only to a few select members of obscure mystery schools screaming out, all competing for the reader's attention. The quiet dignity, the charming pen and ink etchings are compelling on their own. Even the pips which are solely emblematic, are easy to interpret, as opposed to the Marseilles style, which I also read with , but which finds me stealthily counting swords and staves under my breath less my querant notice that I still can't tell them apart lol! So reminder-if unillustrated pips are not your thing, this tarot is definitely not for you--different strokes for different folks! However, the benefit of unillustrated pips is that it allows free range for the imagination and intuition to go to work without the constraint of a set or expected meaning conveyed by the artist's idea of what a card might mean.
Using these cards in private meditation is also a quiet pleasure, it brings me back to another time and whispers things to me that only something so "neoclassical" could. It has a certain quality of intimacy like a private and quaint tea party. This again is due to the muted colours and fine unobtrusive lines that make up these pretty yet intelligent pictures. I do hope others will find equal enjoyment in their elderly and refined presence as I have....

The Ancient Tarot of Lombardy is a masterpiece of neoclassical simplicity and elegance. Tarot readers will find this deck offers them graceful and inspirational images, which collectors will appreciate as Renaissance quality with modern clarity. This is one of those decks that speaks for itself, in any language.

"Historians unanimously attribute Lombard origin to the Tarots of Marseilles." - From the booklet

According to the companion booklet to the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy, the Lombard decks first originated in the 1400's, which included the Visconti di Modrone, the Brambilla, and the Visconti Sforza. During the 1600, the repressive economic policies of the Spanish regime quashed the production of Tarots.

However, in the early 1800's, a series of Tarots were produced under the management of Ferdinando Gumppenberg, administrator of the "Regia Fabbrica" that was created at the time of Napoleon's conquest. Producing innovative decks that moved away from the increasingly popular Tarot of Marseilles style, the Lombard decks nevertheless experienced a decline in production.

The Ancient Tarot of Lombardy by Lo Scarabeo recreates the original Lombardy design that was inspired by neoclassical art. As such, the Major Arcana titles are in Italian, while the Minor Arcana pips bear no titles. The unnumbered card is called "the Madmen" (Il Matto) in this deck, while Trump 1 is titled The Fool (Il Bagattelliere).

While ecru serves as the background hue, the muted coloring of the rest of deck is primarily blue, red, greens, yellows and black pen-and-ink styling. The images look smudged, as if printed on newsprint, and then smeared by handling.

The card backings are ill fitting with the rest of the deck, primarily because the snow-white background peppered with the cornflower blue motif looks both stark and kitschy against the images of the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy. However, the backings are full reversible...

If you're interested in the older Tarots, you may want to consider adding this deck to your collection. Alas, I found it a disappointment. I enjoy the Jean Noblet Tarot so much better--although that is, admittedly, a TdM-style deck.

(To see 12 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)