This deck is designed by renowned Russian miniaturist Yury Shakov.  The cards remind me of Faberge eggs, the elliptical picture is nestled within elaborate gold filigree borders. The colors used are tremendously vibrant and the pictures just seem to jump out at you.

The symbolism is heavily Russian Orthodox Catholic in origin, with many saints and Catholic myth woven into the stories of the cards.  I would recommend this deck for anyone coming from an Orthodox background, but it's a great looking deck for anyone to use.  Follows Rider-Waite interpretation fairly closely.  Some of the cards are intensely intuitive.

The suits are different from the usual, being cups, swords, coins and clubs..... but other than that, there are no changes to the card titles.  The deck is standard sized and is about as comfortable to shuffle as any other.

The artwork was painted the actual size that it is portrayed on the cards.  Most decks are painted in large painting size or at the very least, double or triple the tarot card size, and then reduced to the card size at the printers.  The miniature paintings are all the more impressive due to the detail used.  Looking at them for a long time makes my eyes hurt though.

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Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace