Legacy of the Divine Tarot (Marchetti)

Overview

Continuing on my journey of Tarot discovery, I was next attracted to the distinctive imagery of Ciro Marchetti's Legacy of the Divine Tarot. I have to be honest, and state that, prior to this deck, I had never considered the artist's medium of creation, as the methods artists use to create their mesmerizing depictions are a mystery to me! (As in - I cannot draw/paint for toffee!) The imagery of this Tarot deck drew me in with its complex artwork and stunning visuals, so I was even more impressed to learn that these are digital designs, pulled together using computer programs and digitally manipulated artwork. I take my hat off to artists that can work in this kind of medium, as it seems to me to be even more difficult than paper/canvas and pen/pencil/brush artwork would be. (Believe me! I have tried both, and I can make a bigger mess with actual tools than I can with digital ones - with which I cannot even draw a decent straight freehand line!)

The detail in Ciro's artwork is breathtaking, to say the least. His skill is unparalleled by any modern Tarot artist I have encountered so far, and makes the deck a joy to behold. In fact, it is fair to say that there is so much imagery in these cards that it probably detracts from their use as a tool for divination, and is more a representation of what can be achieved by a true artist producing profound and emotive art for the sake of Art itself. A higher form of Tarot artwork than we usually see? Undoubtedly - but, as we shall see, a trend that is constantly evolving as technology itself evolves, providing greater capacity and capability for modern artists to work with!

The deck does, in the main, closely follow the standard RWS tradition, with a couple of exceptions. One of these is the expansion of what would have been The Hierophant card into a Faith card - so keeping the religious association but taking it beyond Christianity by including a Buddhist monk, Islamic imam and Jewish rabbi alongside the representation of Pope John Paul II. Some cards depict scenes that, while at first they seem to differ widely from RWS tradition, actually reflect an aspect of the RWS that is not far from current accepted belief, such as the sleeping Cat and Dog by the fire on the 10 of Cups - what better image of contentment and security could one have?

Additionally, Ciro has sprinkled the astrological and esoteric signs throughout the deck - easily visible on the afore-mentioned 10 of Cups as pot-hangers over the fire - so this deck is readily accessible to neophyte readers as well as seasoned cartomancers, and, with the phenomenal imagery, easily work for intuitive readings. Perhaps the only negative factor for me is the production value - the cardstock is somewhat weaker than many current decks, and I have seen a number of decks that are showing their age after usage for many readings. Also, mine came with a muslin bag rather than a protective box of any kind - a trend I had noticed of decks produced in this period and which now, thankfully, seems to be done with, as I don’t find these provide any protection for the precious cards they hold. The deck did come with a substantial book, though - The Gateway to the Divine Tarot.

Details of the Deck:

Tradition: RWS

Major Arcana: 22 cards

Minor Arcana: 56 cards

Court Cards: Page, Knight, Queen, King

Fire Suit: Wands

Air Suit: Swords

Water Suit: Cups

Earth Suit: Coins

Designer(s): Ciro Marchetti

Artist(s): Ciro Marchetti

Publisher: Llewellyn, 2009, although a number of editions are available.

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Major Arcana:

0 - The Fool

1 - The Magician

2 - The High Priestess

3 - The Empress

4 - The Emperor

5 - Faith

6 - The Lovers

7 - The Chariot

8 - Strength

9 - The Hermit

10 - Wheel

Ciro’s art work is definitely impressive, but as I flip through this deck, I do notice a couple of stylistic themes that flavour a lot of the images. For instance, the four cards above appear to reflect the style of the acrobatics of the Cirque du Soleil, with their emphasis on balancing and suspension performance. Another theme that seems to be popular with him is the stereotypical Romany gypsy, as shown in some of the Queens below and other cards I have posted. These are themes which appear consistently is Ciro’s work across other decks of his, which makes his work easily identifiable in the Tarot-verse.

Another thing about Ciro’s work on this deck is the amount of emotion he actually gets his characters to portray. The look of avarice in the Miser’s face on the Four of Coins is amazing, as is the heartbreak and loss in the Three of Swords and the Five of Cups.