The artwork in the deck has been completely redone by a modern artist to follow the ancient woodcut designs, but to add color and depth to the images contained in the deck.  These cards have wonderful colored backgrounds which aren't flat area color but textured warm backdrops for the figures shown on the cards.  The designs themselves are fairly consistent with older styling.

Classic Marseille symbolism is used in the deck,  but with more depth perspective and artistic interest than other variations.  There are no scenes in the numbered cards.  The Roman Numerals used are used in the old way, instead of the subtractive method, throughout the entire deck.  Order is also consistent with the Marseilles norm.  Justice is 8 and Strength 11.

The cards are slightly smaller than standard sized and seem to shuffle easily.  The back design is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen, a weirdo brown and beige kind of pattern.  The little white booklet is annoying; it's double the width of the box and folded in half.  The information in the booklet is in Spanish, English and French.  Titles on the courts and Majors are in French.  Suits are Wands, Coins, Swords and Cups, and the King, Queen, Knight and Page are the typical courts.

This is my personal favorite of the Marseilles style decks, due to the coloring and the backgrounds.  It just looks the nicest.  I also like the smaller size and smooth feel to the cards.   They are one of the most popular Marseilles decks among collectors for this reason, although many people use the other ones because of their easy availability.  If you encounter a Fournier, and you like the Marseilles styles, grab it!

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Review Copyright 1999 by Gina M. Pace

Le Tarot de Marseille, by Maritxu Zuler, 1992
published by Naipes H. Fournier, S.A.,  Vitoria