Epinal Tarot

[Thoughtful]

Discovered the Epinal tarot a few days ago, next thing l know l have credit card in hand, pushed buy button and bought it. My last tarot purchase ever (yes really).

What a lovely tarot to end on. It is similar to my 1JJ Swiss which serves me so well and gives me wonderful readings. The Epinal has gorgeous colours, l do like to work with colours in my readings. There are so many little details within the cards such as acorns, oak leaves, roses, a mirror, bowls of fruit, grapes and lots more. It just gets my intuitive juices going. l say it is very like the 1JJ because it is very chatty, warm and charming. l would liken it to the vibrant, confident and friendly big sister of 1JJ.
The cardstock is very nice to handle not to thick or whippy, shuffles beautifully, it has just a hint of sheen to it. The meanings given in the LWB are completely new to me but no matter as l find it better to read what the cards themselves want to say. They are much better looking in the flesh than online, the scans do not do them justice at all.

Sorry l do not give a link would like to but cannot.

Have given some readings to test drive it and l feel at home with this deck already. l really do love it. Though l fear that maybe it has become as unloved as 1JJ, hope not because it deserves to be seen and used.

Does anyone else have the Epinal and work with it, would like to know your thoughts.

 

[rwcarter]

Some images of the cards can be found here on Aeclectic. I have a couple of different versions of the Tarot d'Epinal but haven't gotten around to working with them yet. The tuckbox version has a LWB, while the slipcase version in harder case doesn't.

 

[Thoughtful]

Yes l have the blue tuck box version with the sun card on the front and back. They are most likely the reprinted 1990's set. If and when you do get round to working with them would love to know what your feelings are about them, and how they appear to you.
Thank you for putting the link up just in case others want to see them. As l mentioned before the scans do not do the cards justice, the colours are much deeper, brighter and jewel like.

 

[Eno]

I have the Grimaud version with extra english titles, which is the one in the aeclectic link above. But there should be also a reprint from Arts et Lettres 1976 (pictured in Encyclopedia of Tarot vol. I) that does not have this ugly blue extra titles.

Anyone ever found those without blue extra titles?

 

[Thoughtful]

Mine are the Grimaud French printed ones and yes the titles are black in French wording and blue in the English wording. My LWB does not have a date anywhere nor does the box so l am assuming they are 1990's.

 

[Le Fanu]

I do hope this thread doesn't get moved to the Marseilles forum where it will languish (and where there is already a thread about this deck) as I think this deck deserves to be more widely known.

But yes, I use this deck. I love this deck. Here's another link to those who don't know it. I think there are more - and bigger - scans here than at AT.

I took this deck with me on holiday this year simply because shortly before my holidays I couldn't stop looking at it. It is such a charming rough 'n' ready deck, streetwise, unrefined and I love it. I like the colours, the post-French Revolution, slightly mad reign-of-terror feel about it, the fact that the Marseilles umbrella will always mean that deck like this get forgotten since it is neither authentically "Marseilles" nor is it elegantly "Soprafino". It is strung out somewhere in between. Plus it has Juno and Jupiter, and people - while they can probably do without a "Hierophant" at a push - seem to really really need the High Priestess. But surely Juno can be just as mysterious?

I did a bit of research on the powers and symbolism of Juno and Jupiter in order to be able to use these decks - like the 1J Swiss and also the Besançons. I rather like the idea of not having a Christian Hierophant - no moralism, no spiritual dimension to a reading. I like the anatomy of these figures. Slightly off and yet the clours are so vibrant, plus it has gorgeous old school cardstock. Nothing flimsy at all about it. This deck will only get better with age.

There's a small group of decks which look how tarot decks used to look in my dreams before I got too involved in tarot and with too many demands and symbolism. This belongs to that group. Slightly spooky. Love it.

 

[Thoughtful]

Le Fanu love your comments you put words so clearly and meaningfully. You have quoted everything l feel about this deck but could not find the words to express it properly.
l am delighted that this Tarot is one that you have taken to your heart as much as l have.

Its as quirky in some respects as the 1JJ, that's what attracted me to this deck. Like you say l hope this thread stays here. One of the reasons l put it here is that it would hopefully get a wider viewing for discussion.

Thank you for the link, brings the cards up closer which allows better detail.

 

[Astraea]

I have the Grimaud Epinal, purchased from my friend MoonGypsy awhile back. It's marvelous. Le Fanu has beautifully described the feeling and appeal of this deck.

 

[rwcarter]

I have the Grimaud version with extra english titles, which is the one in the aeclectic link above. But there should be also a reprint from Arts et Lettres 1976 (pictured in Encyclopedia of Tarot vol. I) that does not have this ugly blue extra titles.

Anyone ever found those without blue extra titles?

The version I referred to as being in a slipcase with harder case is the Arts at Lettres version copyright 1976. Yes, it only has the French titles. It has square corners while the Grimaud edition has rounded corners. The images are the same size between the two versions. To accommodate the English titles in the Grimaud version, the cards are longer. The Grimaud version has both LWB and Consultant card while the Arts et Lettres version has neither. The backs are also different between the two versions.

Rodney

 

[Le Fanu]

Just scored what I think is the same deck rodney refers to here. I had never seen or heard of it until this thread and with my indefatigable, insatiable ebaying eye, I managed to spot one! It's MINE!