This enchanting art collectible deck uses what I have to call, for lack of a better word, a cartoon style art.  It portrays the legends and lore of ancient Celtic lands with charm, color and a lot of energy.  I am reminded, when I look of this deck, of characters from "Hagar the Horrible" strips and old Pink Panther television cartoons.  For me, that translates to a good feeling when I view these cards.  Kinda takes me back to the good old days, when I was young and loved cartoons.

The cards come packaged in a nifty little foldover kinda thing.  An outer case slides on over the inner case which folds lengthwise to hold the cards.  There are 22 cards in this Major-Arcana-only deck.  The cards themselves are quite a bit larger than usual, with square corners and a good stiff card stock, which makes for an excellent palette for the art.  The cards are coated on one side only, the fronts.  The back design is an excellent olive green on white celtic knotwork design.

A real sense of humor comes through in all the cards in this set.  The Fool is shown to have just sawed himself in half with a large knife and is standing there in two pieces looking very proud of himself.  Another very self-pleased fellow in this deck is the Devil, who has a poor Celt in a cauldron boiling away with a little demon sitting on his head.  Mythical creatures and hapless souls abound; all the women are large and round with ample bosoms.  Traditional titling and order occur in this Major Arcana, except for Il Mago (the Magician), who is replaced by Il Ciabattino (the Cobbler), and Il Sacerdota (the Hierophant), who is replaced by Il Druido (the Druid).  Titles are in Italian in the upper left hand border and the card numbers are in the upper right hand border, in Roman numerals.

These cards make for an interesting and colorful addition to any tarot art collection.  Those interested in Celtic mythology and lore may recognize various figures in the cards, I do not.  There is a little white pamphlet of sorts which accompanies these cards, but it is only three pages, folded, and all in Italian.  Furthermore, it doesn't address divinatory meanings or even talk about the individual card designs, but rather the overall history of the deck and the artist, with some mention of the artist's interest in Celtic lore.  No help there with identifying the card figures.

I'd recommend this strictly for collectors.  The imagery is bright and amusing, but someone not real well acquainted with the tarot won't get much from it.  Even those of us with experience are limited to appreciating the art itself.  It is, however, very well done and an attractive comic art collectible.  This deck is not distributed in the United States to my knowledge, but is available internationally.  If you would like to order one, email Wicce.

Click here for pictures

or here to return

Please use your browser's back button to return from pictures

Review Copyright 1999 by Gina M. Pace

Tarocchi dei Celti by Benito Jacovitti, 1991
published by LoScarabeo, Torino

for more information on ordering, email Wicce here.