I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, but the Soprafino Tarot decks are my absolute favorites among the classic historical decks. They follow the same symbolism as the Marseilles decks, but instead of clumsy woodblock printing, they are made from engraved plates. Hence the word "soprafino," meaning superfine detail. Compared to other soprafino decks, this one is bolder colored, brighter imaged, and really really pretty. The designs for this deck come from engravings by Carlo Della Rocca, whose work was published under the supervision of Ferdinando Gumppemberg.
Care has been taken to update this deck for a modern publication, without losing any of the historical significance or atmosphere. You will find that the titles go down the lefthand side of the card in the white border, giving a crisp clean look that doesn't interfere with the image area. The Italian titles at the bottom are from the original decks and so they appear inside the image area in the original lettering, but English, French, German and Spanish titles are on the left for anyone who needs a little help. Where this comes in really handy is in the Minor Arcana, which usually has no titles in this type of deck. This new printing of the deck actually uses a keyword meaning for the titles in the left instead of a translation of the actual title. So instead of having five versions of "The Magician" you have "Il Bagattel" at the bottom and then the keyword title on the left is "Will."
The actual titles in the
Major Arcana are traditional. It is the keyword titles which are
unusual. In some cases they are difficult to understand at first,
but most of them reconcile after you work with the deck a while and see
where they are coming from. Remember that interpretations along the
lines of Marseilles type decks is always a little different. Roman
numerals appear at the top of the image area for each card in the Major
Arcana, and titles are as described above. Justice is 8 and Strength
11, using the traditional Marseilles ordering pattern. The keyword
titles are as follows:
0 - Il Matto (The Fool)
- Strangeness
I - Il Bagattel (The
Magician) - Will
II - La Papessa (The
Priestess) - Study
III - L'Imperatrice (The
Empress) - Fertility
IIII - L'Imperatore (The
Emperor) - Steadiness
V - Il Papa (The Pope)
- Inspiration
VI - Gli Amanti (Lovers)
- Choice
VII - Il Carro (The Chariot)
- Victory
VIII - La Giustizia (Justice)
- Balance
IX - L'Eremita (Hermit)
- Prudence
X - Ruota Della Fortuna
(Wheel of Fortune) - Alteration
XI - La Forza (Strength
or Force) - Energy
XII - L'Appeso (Hanged
Man) - Sacrifice
XIII - untitled (Death)
- End
XIV - La Temperanza (Temperance)
- Transformation
XV - Il Diavolo (Devil)
- Instinctiveness
XVI - La Torre (The Tower)
- Exile
XVII - Le Stelle (The
Star) - Hope
XVIII- La Luna (The Moon)
- Dreams
XIX - Il Sole (The Sun)
- Harmony
XX - Il Giudizio (Judgment)
- Renewal
XXI - Il Mondo (The World)
- Reward
You will note that the
subjective form of the Roman numerals is used, with one exception - the
four, which is done in the old style. I have to think this is likely
an error from the old designs since it is inside the reproduced image area.
Also note that the Death card is untitled according to the old tradition.
In the Minor Arcana,
the suits are not named except in the Court cards, however the keyword
meanings continue on the left hand side. Cups, Coins, Batons and
Swords are used. Court titles are King, Queen, Knight and Page.
The numbered cards are simply pips, cards without scenes but with the arrangement
of icons of the suit; i.e. the Four of Cups shows four cups with a figurative
flower separating them, nothing more. In this sense the deck follows
the Marseilles style closely. However, the pips are done very attractively.
The cards themselves
are roughly standard sized, printed on an excellent cardstock which flexes
nicely and has smooth edges and rounded corners. This deck handles
and shuffles well. There is a slippery coating for protection which
wears off enough with use to make the cards more manageable. The
back design is reversible, a double-ended sepia monochromatic version of
the image from The Star card. The little white booklet is a nice
folded pamphlet that is surprisingly informative regarding the history
of the deck and its use in the game of tarot. Divinatory meanings
are provided for both upright and reversed positions. One thing I
found is that the card title in the Majors which is indicated in the booklet
does not always match the card title on the card; however, there is no
trouble following which is which. I was surprised that there are
no layouts given in it, usually at least one is provided.
I recommend this deck to anyone who is looking for a better-looking alternative to the Marseilles style decks, without changing the symbolism or meanings that they may be used to working with. All collectors of historical decks will want to add this to their collections. It is attractive enough to appeal to collectors of any age and type regardless of what deck system they use. I really like this deck a lot. For more information on purchasing this deck, email Wicce.
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LoScarabeo
Review Copyright 2000 by Gina M. Pace
Classical Tarots by Carlo
Della Rocca, 1835, Milano
published by LoScarabeo,
Torino, Italy, 2000