Tarocco Siciliano

Sicilian Tarot
Modiano, 1970

Because my paternal grandmother was born in the coastal town of Trieste, Italy, I have a sentimental interest in the decks published by Modiano of Trieste.

This deck is packaged as Tarocco Siciliano, which is simply the name for the 64-card pattern used in Sicily and Southern Italy. Compared with Tarot packs used elsewhere in Italy, the Sicilian pattern has several variations which crept in gradually since the cards were introduced to the region in the 17th century. A similar Sicilian deck was published in Italy by Murari of Bari during the years of 1900 to 1912, and then by Concetta Campione of Catania during the years 1950 and 1965. Examples of even older Sicilian decks can be seen in Kaplan’s Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. II. The deck shown here was produced by Modiano from about 1970 until the company’s close in 1988.

One notable feature of the Siciliano deck is that it includes two unnumbered Trump-like cards. One of these – the only titled card in the deck – is labeled Misery (Miseria, shown above) and shows a beggar chained to a block. He appears analogous to the image of the Tarot of Mantegna beggar. The other unnumbered card (not shown here), known as the Fugitive, is pictured as a jester blowing a trumpet.

The 64-card structure accommodates the particular games played with this deck. The cards which were ‘removed’ to bring the 78-card deck down to size are the Ace through 4 of Batons, Cups, and Swords, and the 2 and 3 of Coins. The 22 Trumps were retained, albeit with a few interesting variations in order and design. Sometimes one card is set aside to make this a 63-card deck, allowing it to be dealt evenly for 3-player games. Such games are perhaps alluded to by the first Trump, shown above.

The Tarocco Siciliano designs seem to convey a reverence toward feminine power which is unique among decks of this period. Its version of The Lovers card, shown above, turns the traditional iconography around by placing the woman in the position of control rather than the man. She holds her arrow like a magic wand, as if she has the power to draw or to turn away suitors at will. The man on the card is clearly at her mercy, his tail – the sword – between his legs. The sword’s hilt, no doubt, is intended to suggest his phallus, which rises as if by her command. These irreverent implications are a clever innovation of the design.

Another suggestion of feminine wiles is found in Fortitude or Strength, shown above as Trump 6. Similar representations of this virtue exist throughout Renaissance art, yet there is a sexual overtone to this figure which implies the seductive powers of a woman over male society. This same idea is conveyed by The Wheel of Fortune, shown below as Trump 10. The woman sitting at the top of the wheel has her legs spread and is comfortable being the object of obsession to the men who revolve around her. The placement of the spokes are suggestive of her authority over male society: the man at the bottom has an ecstatic expression while a phallic spoke rises from his genitals to hers. Yet, he is trapped under the wheel’s weight and is at the mercy of the woman with crown and royal symbols.

It is women who represent here the Virtues of society, such as Constancy (Trump 4), Temperance (Trump 5), Fortitude (Trump 6), and Justice (Trump 7). In contrast, the Moon and Sun cards (shown below) portray the idleness and aggression of men.

Historically, it was a woman who instigated the redesign of this deck. When an 18th century Sicilian countess found two of the traditional cards too offensive, the lightning strike was removed from The Tower (Trump 15) and The Devil was replaced with The Ship (Trump 14, shown above), an image borrowed from the Minchiate pack.

Shown below is Atlas, the second highest Trump; he carries the world as punishment for his rebellion against Zeus. The figure of Zeus himself is found on the deck’s highest Trump (Trump 20, not shown here). Seated with imperial eagle and wielding thunderbolts, perhaps he signals that there may be redeeming qualities to the male gender after all.

The suit cards are an example of the Portuguese Tarot pattern. Batons, for example, are shaped like clubs rather than fancy staves, and the swords intersect with straight blades instead of the curved ones found on other Italian decks. Each pip bears its number and suit in small boxes placed at the top and bottom of the card. The suits are designated with initials: B for Batons, S for Spades, C for Coppes (Cups) and O for Oro (Gold coins). One more sign of feminine presence is that the Knaves in this deck are women, giving an equal gender count in the court cards: King, Queen, Cavalier, and Knave.

The cards are small, measuring 2 x 3¼. Yet a larger scan shows detailed linework with an ‘engraved’ style that reminds me of the Alchemical Tarot by Robert Place.

Since the Tarocco Siciliano pattern is still used in Italy today, there will probably always be some version of the deck available. This version, from the town of Trieste, is still supplied through European sources such as Alida and Il Trigono.

Review by Mark Filipas, 1/19/01