Pre-20th century Transformation decks and their possible influence on RWS pip designs

[Rusty Neon]

The Sola-Busca deck is credited as being a major influence for the RWS pip designs but ....

One or more of the various 18th century "transformation" decks (i.e., playing cards with picture book designs incorporating the pip symbols) are also a possible source for the RWS pip designs.

http://www.trigono.com/tarots/toscane-a-trasformazione.htm

For example, compare the use of 4 clubs in this Tuscan transformation deck with the concept of the pentacles incorporated into the window in the RWS 5 of Pentacles card. And the RWS 3 of Pentacles also comes to mind.

[Cerulean]

I also thought in a related note that the Playing Cards of Jost Ammon of the 1500s influenced the Turin artist Vacchetta in the
1800s (Tarot of the Master by Lo Scarabeo) and the decorated pips really seem to look like from the same Victorian decorative schools that fed into the Italian designs.

http://www.geocities.com/cartedatrionfi/Frag4.html



Jost Ammon:

1588 Germany

Jost Ammon produces his Book of Trades, “a book of fanciful cards with suit marks of printer’s inking balls, wine-pots, drinking cups, and books, with a verse underneath each one.” (Mann 121.) As with the Rabelaisian cards described above (1525 and 1535) these are fully illustrated. “Frolicking fools and dancing couples, fables and a topsy-turvy world are found here too. Amman’s cards also had an influence on the playing cards intended for everyday use. A sheet dated 1595 from the workshop of Heinrich Hauk – the best example of his work known – makes use of ideas originating from Amman.” (H 26; M 121.)

1589 Venice, Italy

Art samples:

http://www.wopc.co.uk/art/

Naibi/Vachetta/Master

http://www.trigono.com/tarots/naibi.htm

I actually thought the Sola Busca (Ancient Enlightened Tarots from Lo Scarabeo) is significant, but disliked the designs from an artistic standpoint. I preferred to look at decorative pips from the Vacchetta side.

It is true that many playing card designs, although mostly majors, including commerative ones around Napoleon's time and even the 1810 Neoclassical Tarocco (Tarot of Lombardy by Lo Scarabeo) from the Milanese designer/publisher reflected the art preferences of the time.

[Penelope]

I've always thought that the fact that Oswald Wirth didn't even
draw any pips, brought this idea forward as a possible development.

[Rusty Neon]

Originally posted by Penelope
I've always thought that the fact that Oswald Wirth didn't even
draw any pips,

True. The Oswald Wirth Tarot deck distributed by U.S. Games contains minor arcana but those were not designed by Wirth himself but by an artist commissioned by U.S. Games.

[Penelope]

Originally posted by Rusty Neon
True. The Oswald Wirth Tarot deck distributed by U.S. Games contains minor arcana but those were not designed by Wirth himself but by an artist commissioned by U.S. Games. Wirth's 1888-1927 decks didn't have pips either. He would use
Marseilles cards of the same size, but mostly read only Majors.

[Rusty Neon]

(delete)

[Fulgour]

I've always thought that the fact that Oswald Wirth didn't even draw any pips, brought this idea forward as a possible development.
I believe that Pamela Colman Smith was "inspired" to create
her own Minor Arcana accordiding to her own vision of how
it was formed in her mind and imagination, because she
knew that people wanted a simple and honest Tarot.

It's unfortunate so many people confuse Waite's book
with Smith's Tarot. He was a fool...she was a genius.