Customer Reviews

Golden Tarot Deck

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Golden Tarot is a compilatioin of collages from artwork of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Poignant images of gentle beauty and human frailty came from a time of violence, pestilence, and oppression. These images speak to me of a truth that is timeless, and hope that flowers even in the darkest conditions. It is my hope that they speak to you as well." -- Kat Black, creator of The Golden Tarot.

I have never been drawn to traditional Tarot decks, especially those fashioned after the Rider-Waite. Rather, I tend to go for the funky, the symbolic, and the high tech. One of the reasons for my preference is because modern life seems so far removed from the period in which traditional Tarot was created.

So I wasn't sure what to expect from Kat Black's Golden Tarot. I knew nothing about the deck, other than people were giving it high praise. When I opened the sturdy box with the lid that comes off the top, I was intrigued that therein was a deck with gilded edges. Remmeber your Grandmother's Bible? The one who's pages shined so brightly when closed? This luxurious deck has that same gilt edging. The cards follows traditional Tarot, with 78 cards total. The Minor Arcana is fully illlustrated like the Majors. The images are printed on heavy cardboard with a matte golden border. The back is a tapestry of subdued shades of camel and rust. You can't tell from the backs if a card is upright or reversed.

The most unsual aspect of Golden Tarot is that deck creator Kat Black has digitally collaged images from various lesser-known paintings from a period she calls International Gothic. This period of time, 1200-1500 A.D., evolved into the Reniassance. She deliberately avoided using art by well-known artists such as da Vinci and Michelangelo, and most of the paintings used for the deck are hanging in European churches. (A sight that most of us will never see!)

The collaged images are so seamless, that I didn't know I was looking at a digitally collaged deck until I read the 200 page bound booklet included in the package. I even showed my artist husband, and he had no idea, either! The images on the cards are truly breathtaking. I feel like I'm looking at a masterpiece with each and every one. I'm sure that Ms. Black intends this deck to actually be read not just admired as an art deck, but they're so gorgeous I'm reluctant to read with them! (So don't expect information on how they read...I'm too busy drooling over the images!)

The high-quality booklet not only contains the standard meanings for the images (upright and reversed), but also Appendices that list every part that was digitally collaged and the painting that it came from. The Hermit is one of the cards that I look at first when checking out a new deck, and its rendering in this deck resonated deeply with me: it's a picture of a gray-bearded St. Francis of Assisi standing in a darkened forest. A deer is at his side, he's holding a latern that gives off little light, and a gray cat is chasing a quail. The man's body and deer, the latern, the forest, the head, quail, and cat all come from different sources. As I mentioned, you cannot tell that this picture is collaged! An amazing technological feat indeed.

Kat Black mentions that this version of the Golden Tarot took 1,500 hours to produce. This deck was originally web-only, but fans of her work urged her to create an actual deck. Tarot enthusiasts and deck collectors alike will be much richer for having Black's breath-taking creation in hand.

(To see 10 card 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)

This deck is so very beautiful, the box is sturdy, the booklet is a nice size and I really like the interpretations, fresh and yet very intuitive. The card stock is firm, but soon becomes easy to handle, the gold gilt edges are truly luxurious. I must say that I was pretty surprised at how reasonable the price is on this deck. I cannot imagine how this was possible, as this deck and book set seem to be of such high quality. U.S. Games System has really outdone themselves in the production of this lovely deck.

If you want to see the cards and try a free reading with them visit the artists website; goldentarot.com

The artwork on the cards is really gorgeous, I for one did not immediately realize that it is collaged, as each cards imagery is so well integrated. Now a confession, I buy new decks all the time ever searching for that perfect deck which I can actually figure out how to read with. Always there are a few cards which turn me off and send me back to my trusty Rider Waite. This deck is the deck I have been looking for - finally a deck that incorporates the best of RW interpretive imagery, and actually improves on it! If you are comfortable with RW - you will actually find this deck even easier to read with! I never have had such an easy time coming up with interesting insights and more in depth perceptions. Excellent Deck - Highly Reccomended!

I was slow on getting around to this deck from 2003. In this sea of Tarot decks, it is difficult to choose. It seems this is the Golden Age of the Tarot! This deck presents the fascinating world of the late middle ages in painting. I could imagine the work involved gathering these images.

They are wonderful and believable. In other words, they look as if they came from this time period. The glow from the gilded edges is superb and I would recommend these cards for beginners, collectors and art history fans!!!

I buy a lot of Tarot decks and end up turning around and selling many of them when they don't live up to my expectations, but the Golden Tarot by Kat Black is a keeper. What an amazing deck!

The collage work is nearly seamless and, because the images are taken from paintings rather than photographs, it doesn't look like a collage deck at all. It looks like someone discovered a series of Renaissance paintings on the subject of Tarot! And as others have mentioned, the symbolism is similiar enough to RWS that anyone familiar with that classic should be comfortable with this deck right out of the box.

The cards themselves are smooth and silky-feeling and strong enough to hold up to use, without being overly stiff. The gilt edges give the deck a rich look. And I LOVE the packaging US Games has come up with for this set and hope they use this design in the future! The box is sturdy and attractive and easy to use without mangling the cards getting them in and out. And the book, while small compared to a "real" book, is MUCH larger and more comprehensive than the typical LWB that accompanies most decks.

If I could give this set more than 5 stars, I would!

I have collected well over 100 tarot and oracular decks over the past 15 years and am an artist myself. I can first-hand appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating a tarot deck. Ms. Black has succeeded in creating one of the most beautiful collage-based tarot decks out in the market today. For fans of medieval tarot decks, the Golden Tarot is a must-have deck.

In days of old before the advent of computers and graphics programs, collage was done by hand with the images being painstakingly cut out with scissors, then glued to a larger piece of paper in order to create a coherent whole. Ms. Black states in her Introduction that as a child she amused herself for many hours creating collages the old-fashioned way, but that the Golden Tarot was created with the use of digital collage with each image consisting of at least 20 layers. However, you would never know by examining this deck that it is a digital production. Even the tiniest element of each image is sharp and clear. Although personally I am not a fan of digitally created decks as the source method is usually quite obvious, I had no clue this deck was digital in origin until I took the time to read the Introduction, which was several weeks after constantly using the deck for my own readings.

As for readings, this deck did not require any "seasoning" on my part prior to its initial use. Normally, for those of you unfamiliar with the process, upon buying a tarot deck, it must first be cleansed of any energies it may have picked up during the production and shipping periods, and also cleared of energies it may have collected while sitting on a shelf in the store. Once this is accomplished, then you season the deck by placing your own unique energies into it (done in a wide variety of ways) so the deck will work for you. I was so enthralled with the images of the deck that I did a quick cleanse and began using it immediately. Right out of the box the Golden Tarot gave accurate and insightful readings.

Speaking of the box, this is one of those cool all-in-one all-inclusive packaging sets that I have grown to love as it makes storage of the cards and accompanying book hassle-free. The Golden Tarot comes in a box only slightly larger than the cards themselves. The box is heavy-duty reinforced cardboard with the exterior illustrated with three images from within the deck. The box is meant to be stored upright with the lid lifting directly off the top end of the box exposing the gold-gilded cards and accompanying book within.

The book is quite extensive and highly impressive. Once again, Ms. Black has put forth a tremendous amount of effort in producing all aspects of her wonderful deck. The book has 198 pages and is 4" X 2 " inches. The book includes Ms. Black's Introduction, a 10-page section on tarot spreads, and then a thorough discussion of the Major and Minor Arcanum. Each card is illustrated with a small black and white image. The book concludes with a two extensive appendices noting the sources of every image element of every card. That alone was a massive undertaking as Ms. Black first created the deck as a computer-image only deck and only much later did she have to go back in order to source all of her collage elements. A bibliography is also included that focuses on further reading.

I cannot recommend this deck highly enough. It is well suited to both beginner and advanced Readers alike. Years from now I firmly believe the Golden Tarot will be viewed as one of the all-time classic tarot decks.

Do yourself a favor. Buy this deck.

Kudos all around for this deck. It is a shame that Amazon (at this writing) does not offer any pictures of this deck. It is truly a beautiful deck. If you are wondering, I would suggest looking at aeclectic.net or tarotpassages.com to see if they are offering reviews or pictures of the cards in this deck.

What makes this deck truly special is the work put into it on both the creative end and the production end. Kat Black put great work into establishing a wonderful medieval feel to this deck. Though it is a collage, it doesn't come off looking like a collage. She also avoided using familiar paintings so as to give this deck a freshness, like you are looking at something newly discovered.

Black also demonstrates a deep understanding of tarot symbology and infuses this deck with it. The trouble with many themed decks, such as those based on painters such as Da Vinci or Bosch, is that, though pretty, they are not good decks to do readings with. There are enough symbolic imagery in each card to get a deep reading with it. She bases the imagery on the well-known Waite/Smith imagery that will be recognizable to people who even only have a passing familiarity with tarot. Yet, it seems to have a deeper, older tradition tied to it.

U.S. Games production work here is phenomenal here also. The box is sturdy and compact, not allowing the cards to slide around, and also comes with Black's book, which is compact and comprehensive. She gives meanings that are not generic and offer not only her reasons for her choice of images, but gives the reader references to these elements.

I could go on and on, but, in brief, if you want a deck that it readable, feels like an old renaissance work, and is just generally beautiful, you cannot do better than this one!

The Golden Tarot is certainly the most beautiful of all the vailable Tarot decks. The author, Kat Black, has utilized the art of the late Middle Ages and early Rennaisance to put together a Tarot deck which reflects the familiar Rider-Waite
deck in content. The images and colors are of a very high standard. Ms. Black has exercised infinite patience and great taste in selecting the various art work for the cards. The accompanying booklet is succinct and comprehensible. I recommend this deck to the serious collector of Tarot decks as well as to the beginner. It is tops.

I love this deck. Of the many decks I posess, this one became my favorite. The collages are beautifully done, and the golden rims add to the 'this is kind of a historical and special deck' feel. It has a very nice small book too.
The imagery is based on the classic Rider Waite deck (which is one of the most used decks, lots of modern decks are based on that one), so people with knowledge of Rider Waite will have no problem reading it. But I think anyone can learn how to work with this deck.
I just love reading with this deck and like studying the images with all it's rich details and beautiful colors. It is worth buying for it's artwork alone (taking in account you like this kind of style of course)
All the images of the cards can be seen on the creator's site, goldentarot.com (since there aren't any images provided here).
I really treasure this deck, of all the decks I have (about twenty), this is my favorite. I even ordered a second one as an extra study deck. Highly recommend it.

I purchased this deck based mostly on the reviews I read here. The cards are rather good quality. The gold edges haven't flaked or chipped after 100's of shuffles. The paper is thick. The card art itself is a nice matte finish, and hasn't rubbed or chaffed away.

I only have a few minor complaints. The cards are large, the deck is heavy, and it can be abrasive to shuffle (the edges, not corners, are sharp). The book is small, and doesn't open well, and the information within is not as comprehensive as I would like.

Fortunately there's 1000's of alternative sources for information.

For what I paid, this deck is a steal. Easily my favorite tarot deck at this time.

Everything about this deck is 5 star. I can only mirror Gita's feelings on the craftmanship and quality. And not just a pretty face this deck reads beautifully. I have a large collection and many sit on the shelf from lack of readability this deck I will USE. Kat Black's deck is true to Rider Waite interpretation and is an "Accurate Read" straight out of it's beautiful box.
The golden guilding, the beautiful art work, and the truly useful little "big" book that comes packed in the sturdy lift top box is a work of art. Kat has done herself proud and so has US Games. The price is amazing. I don't think anyone could go wrong ordering this deck. I highly, highly recomend it.
It is fast becoming my favorite deck.