It's arrived!
... and boy, am I happy with the quality of this deck!
I think it's tempting (but unfair) to compare the 78 card Noblet to the hand-stenciled 22 Card Noblet. The processes for how they were made are just too different.. it's like comparing hand tailored clothes to something off the rack. Honestly, I didn't expect the 78 to be close, but I'm also pleasantly surprised at how very good it is. I'd like to focus strictly on the 78, but I know I'll be bringing the 22 into it as well.
I think the first thing you'll notice when you get the box is it's size, it's shorter than most, but also pretty thick. The Noblet has odd proportions compared to other tarot decks. The only other deck that I know of being similar is one by François Heri, made in Switzerland circa 1718. Compared to other TdM decks, the Noblet is shorter and wider.
Since I designed the box all I see are things that should be changed in the next printing.. so moving on...
Once you open the box and pull out the cards, you'll see the corners are not rounded, but squared, like the original cards. For me, this immediately adds to the feeling of "authenticity".
In thickness, the card stock seems very similar to that of the 22, it's heavy; which explains the thickness of the box. This is a deck that will last a long time, with a lot of use. Unlike the 22, there is a slick coating on the cards, typical of most any other deck in your collection. The cards, when piled, easily slide and move. On the other hand, they aren't "greasy", or feel like plastic. I think Flornoy has done a great job choosing the stock, cut, and laminate. Any of these can leave a very bad feeling on a deck, but Flornoy's (and the printer's) attention to detail has paid off.
Probably my greatest concern with the 78 Noblet has been the "background" color. At first, I had expected the cards to have a "white" background, but learned early on that there would be a spot color to recreate the creamy-white of old-fashioned quality paper stock. The popular Kris Hadar TdM also has a background color used. I knew that this would be picked at the printers, and so I never knew what it was going to look like. I was worried that it would be too dark, or distracting. Thankfully, that worry was unfounded. The background color is very similar to the paper of the 22. In fact, I don't even notice it it, but it works subtly as well, making the items that are white in the deck (some faces, hands, etc...) seem all the more striking.
The colors on the cards is one of the most striking differences between the 78 and the 22. The printing process just simply cannot compete with the vibrancy of gouache colors. Fair enough. The colors on the Noblet 78 are very good though. The red is bold and bloody. The light blue is soft, the green earthy, and the dark blue appropriately royal. The yellow however, is very different than on the 22, and I can't make up my mind which one I prefer. The yellow on the 22 is clean, almost a banana yellow. The yellow on the 78 is more golden. To me, it gives the deck an added "richness" and "elegance". The "flesh" color is also deeper on the 78 than on my 22.
What's perhaps the most wonderful thing of all, (as I sit here writing this with both the 22 and the 78 spilled out before me), is that I can't really tell which is which by just glancing. Several times I've reached for some cards thinking I'm grabbing from one set to find that I actually have the other! THAT is much more than I had hoped for.
On close inspection, (and really, I haven't had much time for that yet), I'm noticing some interesting differences between the two decks. There are color differences, so far, always involving the two darkest colors.. Blue and Green. On the 22, the right post on Le Pendu was blue, now it is green. So is the spine and scythe on Death. I suspect that this is probably due to the difficulty distinguishing these colors on the originals.. which have darkened dramatically. To my eye, when reviewing scans of the originals, these are indeed good choices.
Of course, the great joy of having a 78 card Noblet is having 78 cards! AT LAST! In this, the 22 cannot compete. We've seen the scans from Roxanne of the courts.. with all of their wonderful expressions and postures. The pips are also beautiful. Clean, crisp, but also full of character. The 5 missing cards, the 6 through 10 of Swords, fit seamlessly into the rest of the deck. Unlike some other decks where the artwork seems horribly mismatched with the original (cough.. Visconti... cough), if you didn't know they were originally missing, I bet no one could tell the difference.
So it's here!
Obviously, I'm biased. I've loved the Noblet since I first discovered it a couple of years ago.. thanks to Jean-Claude Flornoy. I'm a big fan of Flornoy's work, and appreciate the quality he puts into is craft. I would have been sorely disappointed if this deck didn't meet the level of quality I had hoped for. In truth, it really has surpassed it. This is a wonderful deck. I hope that those who have shied away from the TdM in the past might find access to it in these wonderful, 350 year old images. For fans of the TdM, this is simply a must have deck. Hopefully, as these decks arrive, others of you will be as happy with it as I am.
Thank you Jean-Claude and Roxanne for bringing this treasure to us!!