Visconti Sforza Tarot Cards [Misc. Supplies]

Stuart R. Kaplan (Creator)

Book Description

Series: Vs 78 | Publication Date: January 1975

Facsimiler reproduction of 74 extant cards from the 15th century plus four cards recreated to replace cards missing from the initial deck. The original cards are now divided between the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, the Accademia Carrara, and the Colleoni family of Bergamo, Italy.

Product Details

• Misc. Supplies: 78 pages
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems (January 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913866067
• ISBN-13: 978-0913866061
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #89 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Divination > Tarot

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning genuine medieval deck for advanced tarot readers., January 13, 2001

By 

Katrina Black "aka Kat Black of Touchstone an... (Perth, Western Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Visconti Sforza Tarot Cards (Misc. Supplies)

There are so many "medieval" tarot decks available now, but almost all of them are unconvincing modern interpretations. This deck is the real thing, a genuine facsimile of one of the earliest known decks. Tooled gilt backgrounds and hauntingly sparse and beautiful pictures make this deck a joy to use. I would only recommend it for advanced readers, though, as the Minor Arcana consists of the Suit symbols only, with no pictures to signify the cards meanings.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully restored, March 21, 2003

By 

Raheim Baltazar (West Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visconti Sforza Tarot Cards (Misc. Supplies)

This is the Visconti Sforza Tarot... the most "complete" FAITHFULL reproduction of the original deck cards that started in the Milan during the last years of 15th century...but let me talk about the cards.78 cards...4 missing...the devil, tower, knight of coins and 3rd of swords...since originally they were missing from the visconti collection. the cards are a large size. so its hard to shuffle. i personally think it's great that it does not have titles...because it maintains that authentic look. this deck is great because it sets the modern fallacies that modern tarot decks drew away from. such as the hourglass of "Time" card in Visconti and the modern lamp carried by the modern "Hermit" card...other examples go on and on. perfectly preserved... beautiful...the flaw? you CAN distinguish so easily the "missing" cards from the original 74...and I wished that the artistry has made it more faithful in color and look. and this is NOT the meneghello edition...which has a better reproduction of the 4 "missing" cards if you ask me. but it's great anyway. and there is NO back design...just plain reddish/marroon! How boring! why is it gettng four stars? BECAUSE! flaw in colors of the "missing" cards...too big of a size (I wish they resized it smaller) and the "plain" back design. get it anyway, it's a great deck.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glorious restoration! Museum quality!, August 24, 2005

By 

Richard K. Kostoff "karmarich" (columbus, oh) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Visconti Sforza Tarot Cards (Misc. Supplies)

This is the one and only as far as original images are concerned.
This would be the prototype of many others to come. I recently aquired this deck in its 2nd printing dated 1975. I absolutely love it, as it is the almost forgotten deck of so many modern ones! All others are launched from this one. I imagine many of the faces depicted here were actual individuals who lived during the Renaissance. Especially the court cards.

This deck is a must for serious collectors, readers and students of this wonderful art. It carries with it an eerie, from another time feel that should be experienced on its own. The sum of all Tarot decks is carried within. The "vibes" alone give it this supernatural effect that acts as a time machine.

There are no frills here. The cards themselves are large and difficult to handle. The backs are a simple dull red. The missing cards restored are obviously another artists interpretaions. All of the minors are not illustrated. Most readers should begin elsewhere. Nowadays, there are many places to start. Serious, advanced student should all be required to have a copy of this deck in their collection.

The other decks that mimic this one fall short. Lo Scarabeo published one close with gold leaf restored. It has writing on it and shrunk down to standard size-distracting. Also for a fun spin on this classic is The Medieval Scapini Tarot. I list that as one of my favorites.

Now just imagine finding this set of cards in a Milanese castle in a strongbox with other artifacts within. The possibilites are the fuel of novels greater than The Davinci Code...