"French" or "Illustrated" Trumps

Does anyone have enxperience or guidance with using (rather than playing the table game with) tarots whose TRUMPS are illustrated with garden, ballroom, throne room, etc. scenes, usually dipicting an upright and a reversed scene? That is, the traditional trump cards are no longer peopled with such images as "Popess", "Justice", "Devil", etc., although they always continue to have the 21 roman numeral numbering. These decks are often refered to as "French Tarot" decks, or as "Tarock" decks popular in Austria and else where and were widely used in the 19th century as the table game.

I have done a few readings with these decks (a Piatnik deck and a repo. deck designed by Ditha Moser) and found them fun and useful, but not persued such reading seriously. Have you?

Example

Just to add to the above, here is a 4-card reading I just did (for myself) using the Piatnik "Meister Tarock", a reproduction 1936 deck (and, as a Tarock, there are only 56 cards).

Fire/Soul (divine energies): 7 Clubs

Water/Emotions (life blood, "nefesh"): V (traditional, Love/Lovers), depicting a man (hat and satchel beside him) in a bedroom of an inn embracing a woman (wearing an apron but no travel-gear),

Air/Mental (thinking, analytical skills): XVI (traditional Tower), depicts a man with his walking stick on the road touching the chin of maiden at her water well in front of a farm, she is demure and embarrassed by the man,

Earth/Physical (body, nature, production, manifest world): VII (traditional, Chariot), a young man with walking stick at a cross roads, tips his hat to a maid at a well as she works the bucket.

Reading: Divine energies are strong, offering energies to defend, maintain, uphold (7 Clubs, Mars in Leo). Watch out for emotional states (unreliability - short lived trysts or feel-good-one-night-stands), and solid thinking that can be distracted (honesty, modesty and simplicity but which can be distracted or beguiled). Be grateful for all aid however simple and acknowledge others importance throughout the day (the offer of water on the day's long journey).

I was recently gifted a reproduction of an 18th-century Belgian dierentarok (animal tarot), but it never occurred to me to do a reading with it... The results could be interesting, of course - like reading an oracle deck - so I might give it a try.

It's weird that I've never heard of people doing readings with these French-suited Tarots before this thread!

Spoon

I've not tried reading with a tarock deck yet, but I have recently bought a couple. One of them- the Alan Tarot, a reproduction of a 1910 deck- includes a leaflet giving meanings for the cards.

Alan tarot

I am going to send a PM (as well as a post) so you know I replied, and have a question for you.

Does the Alan tarot follow more traditional meanings of the trumps, or are the meanings taken from the illustrations? This may also shed a bit of light on the question of "intuitive" reading ('what do the pictures indicate) versus "traditional" card reading (trump II, Papess/Priestess, is always about intutitions).

The majors in the Alan Tarot are called:

The Fool
The Magician
The Sea Voyage
The Empress
The Lady Musician
The Guardian Dragon
The Sphynx
The Wrestling Match
The Ballad Singer
The Sanctuary
The Garden
Strength
The Artist
The Night
The Man and the Woman
Seduction
The Beast
The Exodus
Fate
The Parasol
The Temple
The Dance

You can see a few cards at Tarot Garden- http://tinyurl.com/29yzux - it's the second deck down, ALAN'S Tarot Cards.

The meanings are taken from the illustrations. From the booklet:

'XVI The Beast: Crucial but not positive change is under way - crises of love and friendship, losing one's job and deterioation of health. Political change, revolution, epidemics and natural disasters could occur. Whatever it is, life will change in aspect.

XXI The Dance: Favourable change thanks to a positive initiative undertaken by the questioner - gratification, a move, a steady coming and going. News received by letter or telephone.'

As you mentioned II, in the book it's called 'The Sea Voyage' and the meaning is given as 'perseverance... strength in face of trouble'.

The deck was designed by A. Orell in 1910. The booklet giving the meanings is by Mauro Boldi, who goes under the name of Alan, and according to the booklet he's well known in Italy through columns in magazines and phone-ins on tv and radio.

I enjoy the Alan Tarocco...but want different pips!

I like the deck and would enjoy returning to it...

But I just haven't ever read with French pips.

I used the double-ended Soprafino courts/majors with some generic instructions--has Italian pips though.

What I have been using is the Italian-suited Cagliostro with the double courts and that also shows one French pip symbol...still the Cagliostro also has instructions.

Am bookmarking this thread to see if people do come up with ways of using it...like using playing cards with an extra court and trump...

Gotta run, so excuse me if my remarks are garbled...will return later.

Cerulean

I see Ilweran beat me to it. <g> But here's a bit extra.

"ALAN" is a pseudonym of Maurio Boldi, who was an esoteric celebrity on TV and radio in Milan. They don't specify when but I am assuming in the 1970s and early 1980s when this deck was produced. This deck was produced in 1981 by Modiano in Trieste, Italy and I assume renamed to catch current trends.

The original deck was produced by Modiano as a complimetary deck for passengers of a cruise ship line in 1910. The actual art was done by Argio Orell 1884-1942. He was a popular artist in the Trieste area where he was involved with "local bohemians" and the Art Nouveau style and he did posters and such as well as working for the card company Modiano creating tarot decks in a series. He was another painter from late 19th and early 20th century who was interested in Japanese prints and collected them, and you can see this Oriental influence in his art.

The pictures in this deck depict ships, and exotic locales, costumes, and people. You can see several actual cruise ships on the cards with their names on banners. The cards are double ended with two different images on each card, and have plain pips like Tarock decks in general. I can envision first class passengers playing cards in the lounge and day dreaming of exotic locations while doing so.

I am attaching some scans. I posted some of the Alan court cards before in a thread on playing cards:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=71925&page=4&pp=10&highlight=alan+tarot

So here are some Majors. Japanese, Egyptian, Spanish and Persian (or Arabian) are the themes in the majors and the 4 court suits. This is one of the most beautiful decks I own, and they would certainly fit an intuitive approach as the art is more thematic than a conventional tarot.

I love Tarock decks just for this reason--they have appealing themes and you can approach them any way you want for reading.

Just an added note...and perhaps some help?

I had found the Alan Tarot through Pasteboard Masquerade's review, which has further thoughts to what Room and others have already said so nicely. If you want to know more about the Alan Tarot and reading possibilities:

http://www.tarotpassages.com/filipas12.htm

The addition this earlier thread has is noting the original publisher of the deck--Lloyd Steamship line--and views of some people who had the deck for awhile:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=30142&highlight=Alan+Tarock+tarot

I did notice a few years ago that period graphics by Argio Orell sometimes showed up through google searches, if people are interested. It's a very beautiful deck and I considered it exceptional, as well. My only regret is I still only want to play games with French-suited poker decks and only read tarot using Latin-suited pips.

Incidently, I'm going to open or try to re-open a thread on reading with 50/52
card decks...pip only...may help...will try to link later if discussion is relevant.

Cerulean