Publication Facts and Rating (0 to 5 stars) "At-a-Glance"

Publisher: Grimaud (France)
Publication Year: 1989
Number of cards: 78
Quality of artwork -- 3 1/2 stars
Usefulness for meditation/pathworking -- 1 1/2 stars
Readability (Divination) -- 1 star
Symbology -- 3 1/2 stars
Value to Collectors -- 4 stars

General Commentary
Oreste Zevola is a Neapolitan artist whose works have been widely featured in European galleries, and particularly in his home country of Italy. His work could variously be described as "abstract," "primitive," and perhaps even "childlike." The 1989 tarot that bears his name showcases Zevola's artistic style in a manner that is sure to either please or disappoint, depending on your expectations and tastes.

While Zevola incorporates some interesting symbolic elements into his cards, the most immediately distinguishing feature of his deck is its artistic composition. The cards in Zevola's tarot all begin with a double-rectangle background motif... a large box at the top, and a smaller one at the bottom. Both rectangles are bordered with red triangular zigzags, and are filled with a blended rainbow of colors. In the Major Arcana and court cards, the images are superimposed across both boxes; in the minor arcana, the "pip" symbols are repeated in both the upper and lower rectangles. Whites and warm colors tend to dominate the foreground imagery, while most of the blended backgrounds tend toward cool colors. The most notable exceptions are the cards of the cups suit, which exclusively utilize reds, yellows, and oranges in the backgrounds. While there is nothing inherently wrong with Zevola's choice here, I found myself feeling that the latter was a little unusual; given that cups are associated with the element of water, one would think that the blue-green-violet backgrounds used in most of the remaining cards might be more fitting.

The imagery itself has a very "scribbly" feel to it. The figure outlines are uneven, and the coloring often bleeds outside its "boundaries" as though it had simply been "slapped on." This is not a criticism; Zevola uses this technique to great effect. However, it is not a style that is likely to appeal to everyone. At first glance, the pictures seem to be "only so much colorful doodling." The viewer has to work a bit to cognitively separate out the interesting details. But many of the details are interesting indeed. For example, Zevola seems fascinated with hearts -- both of the "valentine" and the more "anatomically correct" varieties. Hearts appear on many cards, in many different fashions: The Fool's heart appears superimposed on his chest, but is upside down; The Pope appears to have small heart-shaped buttons on his vestment; in The Lovers card, a woman holds both her heart and that of her partner in her hands; The Devil's heart is segmented with jagged protrusions lining the edge of each inner section; hearts of all sorts adorn the backgrounds of the sword pips; and so on. Many other symbolic motifs can be found in Zevola's deck, including birds, elephants, crosses, and funnels. But a lot of the subtleties will not reveal themselves to mere casual observation.

Even if one appreciates its illustrations, however, the Oreste Zevola tarot may not lend itself well to various metaphysical pursuits. The visual details, interesting as they are, may be too numerous and too chaotic in their overall juxtaposition for the viewer to effectively hold in mind for meditation or pathworking purposes. It also seems unlikely that this deck would function well as a divinatory tool. The reader would have to work hard to discern many of the details -- a process which might distract concentration from interpretation. For example, the Ace of Swords card, at first glance, may appear to be the Three of Swords, as its central sword image is flanked by two smaller images that include blade-like protrusions. The smaller box at the bottom of the picture, however, contains a single sword, thus clarifying this card's status as the ace. In addition, the cards are unusually large and oblong -- measuring approximately 2.5" x 7" -- which may make them rather awkward to handle when shuffling and dealing.

From a collecting standpoint, the value of this deck may depend in part on how a particular collector relates to the deck's artistic style. Collectors who don't care for tarots with a more abstract or "primitive" style, or who aren't interested in the challenges that these cards present on an intellectual level, may not feel particularly drawn to owning a copy of the Oreste Zevola. On the other hand, it is an older deck that will probably become increasingly difficult to find over the coming years. It was printed in 1989 as a limited edition of 2500 unnumbered copies. As of this writing (8/2/00), however, the Oreste Zevola tarot is still listed in the on-line catalogs of Alida, R. Somerville, and Mabel's Card Shack.

In conclusion, I would definitely advise persons who are simply looking for a good reading deck to steer clear of the Oreste Zevola tarot. Conversely, collectors should give the Zevola very thorough consideration, especially since there is "more than initially meets the eye" in this deck. In addition to the overall unusual flavor to its design, the Zevola tarot seems to pose some rather interesting symbolic enigmas for those who care to take the time to unravel them.

Click here for pictures

or here to return

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

Guest review copyright 2000 by Jeannette Roth
Used with permission