Lloyd
I'm sure we're all aware of the Visconti Gold tarot with the foil reproduced by A. Atanassov?. The Visconti Sforza Pierpoint Morgan (now separated in 3 collections, one in Pierpoint Morgan Library (NY), and the other two in Milan? & Ferrara?) -- truly sets the standards and the origin of the past & present tarot cards. Not from our wishful thinking of the so-called Occultic mysteries that we try to find shallow relevances to Egyptian, Indian, Gypsy-Atlantean tradition Etc... One will also find that these cards were the first "official" tarot card deck made, whom sets the standards & the original looks of our modern decks, and were made NOT for divination or mystical goals, but for simple gambling (not to confuse with the *playing cards, not trumps or tarot* French Gringonneur deck of Charles in 1392. These beautiful cards are larger than the size of our modern tarot, simply because the medieval necessity of fancy decorations sorrounded that weighs more than convenient shuffling. A hole has been punched in all cards, and two of the cards (Tower & Devil) were added by the modern reproduction. However, it is quite possible that both missing cards were never there in the first place, due to the religious & political controversy that sorrounds by having these gambling cards. By taking the historical comparison between these late 15th century cards to modern cards, one is able to appreciate the beauty and changes in detail that has been embedded in many of our modern tarot cards. Such as the Fool, that later tarot decks added a sun, the Hermit, has been replaced from holding an hourglass to a lantern, Coins became the neopagan pentacles, batons served as magical wands, temperance was originally a female pouring water from one vase to another, yet became a nude female pouring waters to both sea & land in modern decks, and so on... the cards have no titles, no numerical alphabetical allegories (since Comte De Mellet first established the infamous 22 hebrew letters to the tarot, NOT Eliphas Levi), and which makes their outlook more authentic, yet may be complicated to observe for a tarot beginner. Their background is a simple reddish brown/*maroon color, and they must be shuffled from the sides rather than the top for convenience. In my opinion, these are the "true" & original tarot that many of us may be looking for. They set the standards & values to modern tarot decks and their designs.
If you would like to know more about the tarot and their historical background from research expertise (rather than folklore), please visit these websites that I have found most interesting.
http://jwrevak.tripod.com/misc/tarotl_1.html
http://it.geocities.com/a_pollett/cards31.htm
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/mantegna
Also, check out the incomplete, yet later & interesting tarot of "Cary Yale Visconti Di Modrone Tarot", which resides in Yale, or the Tarot Of Mantegna (Black & white Prints).
If you would like to know more about the tarot and their historical background from research expertise (rather than folklore), please visit these websites that I have found most interesting.
http://jwrevak.tripod.com/misc/tarotl_1.html
http://it.geocities.com/a_pollett/cards31.htm
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/mantegna
Also, check out the incomplete, yet later & interesting tarot of "Cary Yale Visconti Di Modrone Tarot", which resides in Yale, or the Tarot Of Mantegna (Black & white Prints).