Tarot de Paris

The Paris Tarot
André Dimanche, 1984

From the first half of the 17th century is a deck known simply as the Tarot de Paris, or the Paris Tarot, which is housed in a collection at The Bibliothèque Nationale. Under the direction of André Dimanche it was reprinted by Grimaud in 1985 as a limited edition, which is the deck I am showing here. The quantity of the edition is not given. The museum stamp of this deck’s current home can be seen at the bottom of each card.

There are a few identifying features on some of the cards. Though the cardmaker’s name seems to have been removed from the originals, the location of origin remains. The suit of Coins includes a Coat of Arms on every disk, most of which have been identified in a catalog at The Bibliothèque Nationale. Some of the crests are Italian, others are French, including branches of the French Royal Family.

One of the reasons this pack is historically interesting is because it may be the oldest surviving complete deck currently available to us. Because the deck does not display the original cardmaker’s name or the date of publication, the exact date of its origin is not certain. The Jaques Vieville deck would probably come in as a close second on this count. Predating these decks by at least a century, there was also one complete Sola Busca deck which was photographed earlier in this century by A.M.Hind, but the location of that deck is unknown at the present time, according to S.Kaplan’s Encyclopedia Vol.II. Engraved in the late 1400’s, it would be the oldest complete deck discovered to date.

This deck’s original images were woodblock printed and stencil colored. The stenciling unfortunately obscures many of the details in the more carefully drawn illustrations beneath it. The borders are interesting because the checker pattern simulates the technique used in Italy in which the back papers were folded over the edges of a card. Not only did the Parisian cardmaker imitate Italian-style edges, he also used the Italian suits of cups, curved swords, cudgels and coins. The face cards are titled at the bottom in French, with scrolls at the top bearing the initials of the Italian titles.

The first Trump seems to picture a merchant more the a mage. The details are difficult to decipher but the card is similar to many early designs which show a vendor at his table. Justice, Trump VIII, uses traditional symbols of sword and scales. The person of Justice bears a male and female face, both of which are blindfolded. The Wheel of Fortune shows one of the more common allegorical images of the Middle Ages. Temperance is a bit more unique here, seen using both hands to hold the jar which she uses to douse a fire.

The four aces depict creatures not generally used by cardmakers of Italy or France. The Ace of Swords above shows a Unicorn. The Ace of Clubs shows what appears to be a griffin, the Ace of Coins a lion, the Ace of Cups an antlered dear. The suit of Cups echoes the Coins by displaying a different design on every cup. Many of these cups bear what look like engraved or statued lids, and include banners, faces, and figures. Every card in this suit, in fact, appears to be the direct precursor to the 7 of Cups in the Waite-Smith deck.

Dimanche has written a historically detailed essay for this deck’s booklet. He discusses the known history of the Tarot and the cultural influences leading up to the Paris deck. Four cards from this deck edition can also be seen in Stuart Kaplan’s Encyclopedia of Tarot Volume III, and several cards from the original Paris deck can be seen in his Volumes I and II.

Review by Mark Filipas, 2/3/00