Renaissance Tarot Deck

[Chariot] [2 of Wands] The Renaissance Tarot is rich in myths and symbols that harmonize with the spirit of the Renaissance. The figures on the Major Arcana cards are the classical gods and demi-gods of antiquity. The numbered suit cards illustrate four well-known myth cycles: Achilles (Swords), Eros and Psyche (Cups), Demeter and Persephone (Coins) and Hercules (Staves). The court cards correspond by suit with four powerful Italian cities of the time: Milan, Venice, Rome and Florence. They also stand for a four-part system of planets, constellations, seasons and other aspects of this era's cosmology. The artist Brian Williams interweaves all these themes to capture the flavor of the Italian Renaissance. There is a separate companion book for this deck called A Renaissance Tarot: A Guide to the Renaissance Tarot. Williams connects tarot symbology to the myths and culture of the period. Williams is also the author of the book The Light and Shadow Tarot and creator of the Minchiate Tarot and Ship of Fools Tarot.

Deck
Number of
Cards		 Card
Size		 Copyright Card Back Design
78

22 major
56 minor

 2 3/4"
x
5"		 1987 [back design]

Companion Book
Title Author Size Number of
Pages		 Copyright Cover
A Renaissance
Tarot		 Brian
Williams		 7"
x
10"		 197 1994 [cover]

Language of Card Titles: English, Italian

Style of Suit Cards (2-10): suit tokens and mythological scenes

Also Included: instruction booklet, title card, presentation card

Major Arcana:
Fool, Magician, Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant,
Lovers, Chariot, Strength (Card 11), Hermit, Chance, Justice (Card 8),
Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Stars, Moon,
Sun, Angel, World

Suit Names: Staves (Wands), Cups, Swords, Coins (Pentacles)

Court Cards: King, Queen, Knight, Page

SAMPLE CARD IMAGES:

[Queen of Swords] [Seven of Cups] [Four of Pentacles]

Reference - The Encyclopedia of Tarot: Volume 3 by Stuart Kaplan, pgs 624, 626-627

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