The mail came!

Wow. When you get 5 awesome decks, all at once, you are just stunned with beauty!

Tarot of the Tsar-Gorgeous! The gold with decorations on it is sumptuous. I just love the icons. I might as well get every Russian deck there is, because I am never let down. This one is going to be fun!

Tarot of Durer-Some beautiful pictures with interesting twists, great study deck, mixed with, well, lots of boobs, and, of course, the Fool mooning us. How nice of him. And what is with the Queen of Pentacles?

Ancient Minchiate Etruria-Haven't opened it, yet, but very excited!

Ancient Italian-Great deck with none of the various languages-just the Italian. Excellent paper stock. This will get used well.

The Classic Tarot-Wow! Just plain wow. Gorgeous colours, stunning artwork, and it truly holds that Old-World appeal, except for the titles on the side. One of the prettiest historical decks I have ever seen, but my Soprafino is on its way from Milan, so it might have some competition. Still, I am loving this deck and basically drooling over it!

This mailing-thank you Amazon and AT!-makes up the fact that when I went to B&N today I found out that they are not carrying small decks, anymore. Boo on them, more to Amazon, Borders, and other places. Now...for that Nigel Jackson I am desperate for....

HearthCricket wrote: Tarot of the Tsar-Gorgeous! The gold with decorations on it is sumptuous. I just love the icons. I might as well get every Russian deck there is, because I am never let down. This one is going to be fun!

I have had my eye on this one for quite awhile. I will be interested to hear what you think of it. Does it really convey Russian history and culture or is it simply "dressed up" in Russian clothing and style?

Flidais wrote:I have had my eye on this one for quite awhile. I will be interested to hear what you think of it. Does it really convey Russian history and culture or is it simply "dressed up" in Russian clothing and style?

This deck is gorgeous. The pictures portrayed are famous religious works, icons, etc., from Russia's history. For example, The Magician is Christ raising Lazarus! The Star is a famous picture of The Nativity! What would be the Heirophant-The Apostle Peter (of course!) Five of Wand-Judas betraying Christ with a kiss. This will really appeal to Christians, especially of Catholic, Anglican or Orthodox background, but also to anyone who appreciates art. It is very different than my beloved Russian/St.Petersburg deck, because that is based on the lacquer boxes, and has a lot of Russian history to it. This is more about religion and famous works of art, so it stands on its own. As the LWB says "In conclusion, the Golden tarot of the Tsars does not in any way refer to the old Russian aristocracy. On the contrary, these beautiful cards exalt the faith which for a long time fed the Slavonic people; a faith capable still today of satisfying he who searches for authentic nobility in religion consisting of pure and radiant virtues like the gold and silver which shines in the icons". Definitely a collectors deck, yet very readable. Slim size, beautiful gold work makes it elegant in appeal, yet simple in its own way. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes The Golden Tarot...this is right up there, or possibly surpasses it. If you know anything of Byzantine art, you wil recognize a lot of these cards.