Here is one deck which stands out in a virtual sea of similar designs.  There are several decks out there which call themselves a Renaissance-period deck in one form or another, but Williams' vision and artistic abilities keep these cards from becoming just another one of those decks.

While retaining all sense of accurate style for the period presented, Williams' artwork shines in a light, delicate and colorful way.  His Major Arcana cards present the gods and goddesses of Olympus in an almost guardian-angel sense, as they hang out in the upper corners of the card, above the frame brackets.  This is entirely consistent with thought forms of the time.  Symbolism is richly present as well, and even the back design for the deck has been thoughtfully executed.

Each suit in the Minor Arcana offers a storyline in Greek Mythology to illustrate the progression through the cards from ace to ten.  The Cups are the story of Eros and Psyche.  The Swords are the story of Achilles throughout his career.  The Staves relate the tales of Herakles throughout his life.  And the Coins tell the myth of Demeter and Persephone.

There are many more associations prevalent throughout the deck, from astrological and planetary, to the seasons and the four major cities in Italy at the time of the Renaissance, which in and of themselves embody the meanings of the suits through their histories of the period.  The enclosed booklet goes into a lot of detail without being overly tedious.

The cards are a standard size and shuffle and handle fairly easily.  The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the lack of full-scene pictures in the numbered cards of the Minor Arcana, however, there is definitely more to these cards than just a picture of the number of items represented.

All in all, I heartily recommend this deck, for either the collector or for those who like to work with Renaissance style.  It is a lot more palatable to work with than any of the other period-style decks I have seen thus far.

Brian Williams has his own home page for anyone who is interested in reading more on the deck or on the artist.

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also by artist Brian Williams:
PoMo Tarot

Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace