Jodo Camoin Card Backs (images)

[Fulgour]

On another AT forum someone asked about the
Jodo Camoin card back design, and so here it is...
another outstanding feature of this beautiful deck.

Let's begin a cheering section for this great Tarot!

 

[coredil]

Jodo Camoin Le Mat grey picture

In Jodorowskys book "La voie du Tarot" you can find very nice and big pictures (8,3 x 16,3 cm) of the complete major arcane in light grey as well as smaller pictures (4 x 6,9 cm) of the complete minor arcane also in light grey.
These pictures look different than just converting the color pictures to grey.
(At least I obtain a different result when I do such a conversion in Photoshop).

Here is a scan of Le Mat just for the pleasure of the eyes:

 

[Téa]

Oh I like the card backs... At first I saw a circle-pattern and then I saw squares. Are the backs of the mini version the same?

 

[coredil]

Are the backs of the mini version the same?

Yes, exactly.

Best regards

 

[kenji]

Hi

You can see the same back design in the following old tarots:

1. Miike-Conver ( around 1800? According to Mr Thierry Depaulis, this is the earliest Conver specimen as far as he knows.)
2. "Tarot Allemand à deux têtes" (Reproduction deck by France Cartes)
The original is the double-headed deck by Lefer (Paris, early 19th century).

So, this design is not an invention of Camoin and Jodorowsky.

 

[coredil]

Hi

You can see the same back design in the following old tarots:

1. Miike-Conver ( around 1800? According to Mr Thierry Depaulis, this is the earliest Conver specimen as far as he knows.)
2. "Tarot Allemand à deux têtes" (Reproduction deck by France Cartes)
The original is the double-headed deck by Lefer (Paris, early 19th century).

So, this design is not an invention of Camoin and Jodorowsky.

Hello Kenji,

I have two early copy of the Tarot Allemand or Tarot Chinois.
Both copy are printed by Grimaud (so not Lefer and not Lequart et Mignot).
But both have a 1890 tax stamp and ... they have both a different cardback!
I wonder how does the cardback of your copy look like.

 

[kenji]

Hello Kenji,

I have two early copy of the Tarot Allemand or Tarot Chinois.
Both copy are printed by Grimaud (so not Lefer and not Lequart et Mignot).
But both have a 1890 tax stamp and ... they have both a different cardback!
I wonder how does the cardback of your copy look like.

Hi coredil

I have a Grimaud "Tarot Chinois", too.
It has a 1890 tax stamp, and the same back design as yours -- the right one.
And interestingly, one of my early Grimaud TdM (Yellow dice & Tulip, with tax stamp) has also this checker pattern.

Could you put the image of Lefer deck I sent you here, for everyone's reference?

Kenji

 

[coredil]

Hi coredil

I have a Grimaud "Tarot Chinois", too.
It has a 1890 tax stamp, and the same back design as yours -- the right one.
And interestingly, one of my early Grimaud TdM (Yellow dice & Tulip, with tax stamp) has also this checker pattern.

Could you put the image of Lefer deck I sent you here, for everyone's reference?

Kenji

Hi Kenji,

it seems as if Grimaud had a lot of cardbacks to play with

Here is Kenji scan of the cardback from the 1986 Grimaud reprint of the Lefer edition of the "Tarot Chinois" or "Tarot Allemand à deux têtes".
Same pattern as Jodos deck.

 

[metawill]

Reason for the Grimaud back with Camoin Tarot

Hi,
Thanks to all of you here, for the great research, and findings you share with us all here. Living in Marseilles (friend and collaborator with Yves le Marseillais) I used to work with the Tourrasse "Camoin" family, on different projects. At that time, I learned that Grimaud did actually produce the Camoin-Jodorowsky Tarot first edition. Thus it's no surprise, then, to see an actual Grimaud back, at the very back of their cards! Some think that their deck is now edited by Grimaud, once and for all… So that finally the Camoin House would still have their Tarot managed by Grimaud, as in the early XXth century…

 

[Paul]

Perhaps this has been asked and answered...

Is there a mystical significance to this design, or is it decorative?