Images of Court Cards: Jean-Pierre Laurent à Belfort

[Fulgour]

from Byzant Tarot: A History of the Tarot

There are many myths surrounding the origin of the Tarot, and theories that the cards were invented in ancient Egypt, India or China are often expressed. These ideas owe more to a sense of romance or wishful thinking than to any hard evidence, and one popular myth, expounded in Le Monde Primitif (1781) by Court de Gebelin, is that the cards were brought from India by the Gypsies (who, as their name suggests, were originally thought to have come from Egypt). The true origin of the Tarot cards remains a mystery, but what is known is that cards similar to those we have today first appeared in Italy and France in the late 14th century.

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For further consideration and enjoyment, may I present~
The Honours of Jean-Pierre Laurent à Belfort XVIII siècle.

[magpie9]

I like these very much, Fulgoar, there's something very special about them. I don't suppose they're available as a historic repro somewhere?

[Fulgour]

Musée du Louvre had them printed in 1985.
Here's another thread:

Pictures of Pseudo-Besançon by Jean Pierre Laurent
(Belfort, the 18th century) - Aeclectic Tarot Forum
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=59673

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Availability is a question... logically, there should be
a supply of these through the museum. Someone is
over there who ought to know...is it a tourist thing?

[magpie9]

Ya gotta love those scrunchy little Marseille faces! But I have to say that the Chariot looks hung-over, LOL.
Hopefully someone in France can supply the rest of the info. Thanks, Fulgoar!

[jmd]

Thank you for those images, Fulgour.

Yet another deck that I have tried to obtain, thus far in vain.

[la-luna]

I recently acquired a copy from this deck and strangely when observing it and it hit me when looking at the faces of Jupiter and Juno that these cards are most likely made by another engraver than the rest of the deck.

Does anyone have more info about this?

[Moonbow]

Lucky for you la-luna!

Although Junon and Jupiter decks are not my favoured, I do love the Besançon for study and comparing with other decks. The link that Kenji kindly gave us (as shown in Fulgours post) gives us a good idea of the J-P Laurent cards for comparison with the Besançon:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=59673

Sorry, I wouldn't know if J and J were done separately, somehow I doubt it but who knows......

Where on earth did you find one? (and can you get another?)

[Yves Le Marseillais]

Hello La Luna and Moonbow,

Original deck was in Musée National des Arts et traditions Populaire in Paris (MNATP) and will now go to MUCEM in marseille within 2012.

I also have a fac Similé of it that I got on Ebay fpr peanuts (oh lucky day...).

So... two good reasons to comes to Marseille in 2013.

Salutations from France and Marseille.


Yves Le Marseillais

[kwaw]

Originally Posted by la-luna

I recently acquired a copy from this deck and strangely when observing it and it hit me when looking at the faces of Jupiter and Juno that these cards are most likely made by another engraver than the rest of the deck.

Does anyone have more info about this?

I don't have any more information, but I agree JJ appear to be of a different hand; perhaps later made to convert a TdM into a TdB?