Lo Scarabeo Art Nouveau

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Dec 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

dangerdork	06 Dec 2002
I LOVE THIS DECK!!! Some friends brought back this deck from a trip to Paris as a gift a few years back before it was widely available here in the US - and I loved it immediately as an art deck. Tried reading with it once or twice, but the images were such a departure from the RWS standard, and just so ornate and gorgeous that they were distracting. I read a review somewhere (probably here :) ) that mentioned this deck was a pastiche of the style of Alphonse Mucha. Now, I don't know HOW I got this far along in life as an artist and tarot fan without ever having heard of this guy, but he's quickly moved up into the ranks of my favorite artists ever, and I am hoping to incorporate elements of his style into my OWN work. http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=598&page=2 Anyway, Antonella Castelli has done an AMAZING job of capturing the spirit and elegance of Mucha's style in this deck, and I find myself handling these cards just to LOOK at them more than any other of my 40-some decks. I tried reading again with them recently too, and I've discovered that with a little patience, the characters on these cards speak to me quite eloquently. Anybody else out there as enchanted with this deck and style as I am?

StargazerLily	06 Dec 2002
I love this deck too--at least what I've been able to see on the Internet. It's the first on my wish list. I think it's one of the most beautiful decks--maybe even THE most beautiful! :)

Macavity	07 Dec 2002
I certainly agree on this one. Yes, it took a while to track down Mucha - on the internet. I remember a cafe at which I used to eat sometimes, while working in French-speaking Switzerland. They had similar advertising images painted(?) on glass mirrors around the room - highly effective! One could stare at the "beautiful ladies" for many an hour :) I think they manage to be stylish and (stunningly) beautiful, without being too cutesy. It's on my (comparatively small) list. Mac

truthsayer	08 Dec 2002
i like both the LS art nouveau and art nouveau by matt myers. i haven't tried my LS in a reading yet but i have the myers one and it gives good ones on relationships. some ppl think that the myers one is too barbie and ken-ish but the LS definitely isn't. i will have to take it out for a test drive very soon. i'm getting curious if there is a type of reading it will specialize in. art is a driving force in my tarot reading! :)

dangerdork	09 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer some ppl think that the myers one is too barbie and ken-ish but the LS definitely isn't. i will have to take it out for a test drive very soon. i'm getting curious if there is a type of reading it will specialize in. art is a driving force in my tarot reading! :) I have the Myers deck too, and I agree, it's PERFECT for relationship readings. If your querent is a teenage girl asking "does he like me?" this is the deck you should be reaching for :) It IS Barbie and Kennish, but it's a cute deck. The art is nice, kind of a Tiffany influence, although I think the blue-and-green coloration, while relaxing, is a bit monotonous throughout. As are the boy-girl images on the vast majority of the cards... My experience with the LS deck is it usually yields what I think of as "psychological" readings. Some readings seem to relate to events, some to relationships, and some just to the state of mind or general mood of the querent. The LS has invariably dealt with the latter for me....

The Lo Scarabeo Art Nouveau thread was originally posted on 06 Dec 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.