This deck is actually
a Spanish bilingual version of the Tarot of Marseille, and is one of US
Games' classic sellers internationally. The deck adheres to traditional
Marseille styling but offers a spanish titling instead. Otherwise,
there isn't much to say about it.
The artwork is fairly
crude looking, but not without appeal. Softer colors seem to actually
use shading to give some sense of depth to the color areas. However,
off-white backgrounds still make for an overall boring look.
Classic Marseille symbolism is used in the deck. 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 and seem to shuffle easily. The back design
is a reversible pattern of pale tan with darker tan flowers. The
little white booklet is fairly thick and is printed in Spanish and in English.
You turn the booklet over and read from the front page to the center in
each language. Titles on the courts are in Spanish only but on the
Majors, titles are in both English and Spanish. Suits are Wands,
Coins, Swords and Cups, and the King, Queen, Knight and Page are the typical
courts.
This deck is just there.
I don't have much of anything else to say about it. It's actually
a more likeable representation of the Marseilles for some reason than,
say, the Carta Mundi or the Grimaud, but it's basically mediocre.
Its big selling point is the Spanish orientation and the nicer colors.
Easy to obtain from US Games.
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Review Copyright 1999
by Gina M. Pace
Spanish Tarot by US Games,
1975