jema
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-fantasy/
Not exactly stained glass but there is something special about the vibrant colours.
Not exactly stained glass but there is something special about the vibrant colours.
Stained glass-esque decks?
chocbird
Thank you for your help, everyone 
I didn't expect so many responses.
rwcarter - if it wasn't OOP, I'd definitely try to snag it. As it is, a collectible is out of my price range
Aeric - perhaps I'll get Art Nouveau someday and use only the Minors, as the Majors are rather off-putting, but for now I'd rather have a full deck; Wickwillow looks potentially overwhelming but is up for consideration; and I might see about Crystal Tarots in the future, when I'm a bit more advanced.
The Happy Squirrel - good to hear you like the Stained-Glass Windows It looks more complex than what I could read, to be honest, but I am considering it.
earthair - I dig the vibrant palette, though I need to think about whether the numerous patterns won't be too distracting. (As an aside, AT displays it as OOP, but it's actually back in print since 2010, both a coloured and slightly different black-and-white version. I suppose contacting Solandia via the form on the site is the way to update her on that?)
firecatpickles - looks very interesting, but I think my eyes might not agree after a few minutes of the dense patterns
jema - not exactly the effect I'm looking for now, but pleasing nonetheless, so up on the general wishlist it goes.
Now I'm left with deciding which of the four (Wickwillow, Stained-Glass Windows, Revelations, Jaśniak) to get... main concern being (very beginner) skill level Thanks again for all your help!
I didn't expect so many responses.rwcarter - if it wasn't OOP, I'd definitely try to snag it. As it is, a collectible is out of my price range
Aeric - perhaps I'll get Art Nouveau someday and use only the Minors, as the Majors are rather off-putting, but for now I'd rather have a full deck; Wickwillow looks potentially overwhelming but is up for consideration; and I might see about Crystal Tarots in the future, when I'm a bit more advanced.
The Happy Squirrel - good to hear you like the Stained-Glass Windows
It looks more complex than what I could read, to be honest, but I am considering it.earthair - I dig the vibrant palette, though I need to think about whether the numerous patterns won't be too distracting. (As an aside, AT displays it as OOP, but it's actually back in print since 2010, both a coloured and slightly different black-and-white version. I suppose contacting Solandia via the form on the site is the way to update her on that?)
firecatpickles - looks very interesting, but I think my eyes might not agree after a few minutes of the dense patterns
jema - not exactly the effect I'm looking for now, but pleasing nonetheless, so up on the general wishlist it goes.
Now I'm left with deciding which of the four (Wickwillow, Stained-Glass Windows, Revelations, Jaśniak) to get... main concern being (very beginner) skill level
Thanks again for all your help!Aeric
I'll tell you that Stained-Glass Windows (Vetrate by Luigi Scapini) is by no means intended as a deck for beginners. The LWB is not your traditional one. It's written as a 78-step process explaining the energies of Qabalah as they flow through the cards from 1-78.
Because of this, many of the card decorations don't match the flavour of RWS. e.g. 6 of Swords is not a card of moving away, but is a card of positive dynamic explosion more like the Sun.
The writing is also extremely poetic, flowery, and obscure, with each card a prose paragraph only. There are no "meanings" given, no spreads. If you're not interested in Kabbalah, the book is useless.
Unless you're willing to study the deck a very long time to fully understand all 78 steps Scapini is describing, you have to intuit this deck. I'm of the mind that he didn't even create this deck intending it to be used as a Tarot deck, but more as an art project.
I'd highly suggest the Revelations instead, which is both much more like classic RWS in meaning, and a fantastic shift from the traditional card structure.
Because of this, many of the card decorations don't match the flavour of RWS. e.g. 6 of Swords is not a card of moving away, but is a card of positive dynamic explosion more like the Sun.
The writing is also extremely poetic, flowery, and obscure, with each card a prose paragraph only. There are no "meanings" given, no spreads. If you're not interested in Kabbalah, the book is useless.
Unless you're willing to study the deck a very long time to fully understand all 78 steps Scapini is describing, you have to intuit this deck. I'm of the mind that he didn't even create this deck intending it to be used as a Tarot deck, but more as an art project.
I'd highly suggest the Revelations instead, which is both much more like classic RWS in meaning, and a fantastic shift from the traditional card structure.
chocbird
Looks like Vetrate will become a potential far-future purchase. Thank you
nisaba
I think it might be out of print, don't quote me. I never got the book with it, just the shrink-wrapped deck, I didn't know there was a book. And I probably wouldn't want it now. The deck works brilliantly as Tarot. The colours are super-saturated, and I loved the arch-shaped stone blocks that frame each card.
After a decade of owning the deck, though, the very stone frame is the one defect that I can find: it is the same one replicated to the finest detail of every card. On his most recent Kabbalistic deck, the burnt edges are subtly different on every single card, which seems better somehow. After all, if the Vetrate cards were ever rendered into actual stained glass windows, the blocks of stone around all of them would be different, no matter how carefully they were crafted.
People who don't like unillustrated minors probably won't like this deck - this was the "gateway deck" for me: the deck with unillustrated minors that I fell so deeply in love with that I *had* to learn how to read the b*ggers whether I wanted to or not. This in turn led to me being able to read them and therefore inclined to buy more historical decks. Beware, this deck is the thin end of the wedge!
After a decade of owning the deck, though, the very stone frame is the one defect that I can find: it is the same one replicated to the finest detail of every card. On his most recent Kabbalistic deck, the burnt edges are subtly different on every single card, which seems better somehow. After all, if the Vetrate cards were ever rendered into actual stained glass windows, the blocks of stone around all of them would be different, no matter how carefully they were crafted.
People who don't like unillustrated minors probably won't like this deck - this was the "gateway deck" for me: the deck with unillustrated minors that I fell so deeply in love with that I *had* to learn how to read the b*ggers whether I wanted to or not. This in turn led to me being able to read them and therefore inclined to buy more historical decks. Beware, this deck is the thin end of the wedge!
reall
Connolly Tarot?) not exactly vitrail but interesting,,,
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/connolly/
) not exactly vitrail but interesting,,,http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/connolly/
chocbird
Looking at the few and far between bookshop/private seller listings with rather demanding prices you're likely to be correct, nisaba. It's still available on the publisher's website at an entirely reasonable 25EUR, though they don't ship abroad for some curious reason. The border is actually a quibble I've already suspected I would have, if not for being identical on each card, then for its sheer size...
Haha, thanks for the warning. I doubt I'll heed it as far as never-ever touching non-pictorial pips goes
reall - that's a neat deck, too. Made me think of kindness, as if it was suffused with safety and warmth (even though the pictures aren't really "cutesy" -- maybe it's the cherubs on the aces?).
Haha, thanks for the warning. I doubt I'll heed it as far as never-ever touching non-pictorial pips goes
reall - that's a neat deck, too. Made me think of kindness, as if it was suffused with safety and warmth (even though the pictures aren't really "cutesy" -- maybe it's the cherubs on the aces?
).strings of life
Mentioning this only because I recently purchased it (again, after previously owning it), but the Fantastical by Natalie Hertz has a slight stained glass effect http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/fantastical. It's OOP, but can still be found for a decent price--pay no attention to the ludicrous Amazon prices.
chocbird
I like the more jester-looking Fool in this one, and how the characters are all sharp angles and shadows. The backs are nice; seem to be contrastingly luminous, if that makes sense. (I should have suspected my list of purchases would grow uncontrollably )
)MaryQC
Vetrate deck
I'm writing because I have and want to go to bat for the Vetrate deck by Scapini. It's true that the LWB is worse than useless for a beginner--which is odd because his book for the Medieval Scapini deck is well-written and clear. But with any basic guide to traditional meanings of the cards, the card meanings are easy to intuit, particularly for the wands and swords. The cups and coins are a bit less illustrated.
I bought this deck for the art, and it does not disappoint. It looks like high-quality stained glass. The court cards in particular are beautiful and distinctive.
The deck is also not out of print, though it's not on Amazon. I had to order it from an Italian site, but it was worth it. I would highly recommend it if you want a deck that truly looks like stained glass.
I'm writing because I have and want to go to bat for the Vetrate deck by Scapini. It's true that the LWB is worse than useless for a beginner--which is odd because his book for the Medieval Scapini deck is well-written and clear. But with any basic guide to traditional meanings of the cards, the card meanings are easy to intuit, particularly for the wands and swords. The cups and coins are a bit less illustrated.
I bought this deck for the art, and it does not disappoint. It looks like high-quality stained glass. The court cards in particular are beautiful and distinctive.
The deck is also not out of print, though it's not on Amazon. I had to order it from an Italian site, but it was worth it. I would highly recommend it if you want a deck that truly looks like stained glass.
