The Visconti Tarot
Origins of Renaissance Cartomancy
Historical Origins
The Visconti-Sforza tarot deck, created in Milan, Italy around 1450, represents one of the oldest surviving tarot decks. Commissioned by the Visconti and Sforza families, ruling nobles of Milan, these cards exemplify the height of Renaissance artistry and symbolism.
Each card was meticulously hand-painted with precious materials including gold leaf and silver, featuring delicate figures set against luminous golden backgrounds. The Death card particularly showcases the deck's unique blend of medieval symbolism and memento mori traditions common in Renaissance art.
The Death and World cards from the original Visconti-Sforza deck (c. 1450), showing the distinctive golden backgrounds and medieval symbolism
Artistic Style
The deck features International Gothic style with its characteristic gold backgrounds and detailed courtly scenes. The figures wear contemporary 15th-century Italian noble dress, offering a window into Renaissance fashion and social hierarchy.
Each card demonstrates masterful use of color, particularly ultramarine blue and vermillion red, with extensive gold leaf application creating a luminous quality. The imagery combines Christian symbolism with Renaissance humanist themes.
Cultural Impact
The Visconti-Sforza deck established many of the iconic images still used in modern tarot. Its influence can be seen in the court card hierarchy and the symbolism of the major arcana, though it predates occult associations.
Originally used for the game of trionfi, these cards later became instrumental in the development of tarot divination, bridging medieval allegory with modern cartomantic practice.
Legacy and Preservation
Today, the surviving cards are scattered among various museums, including the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, and the Casa Colleoni in Bergamo. Their preservation allows modern scholars and practitioners to connect with the origins of tarot tradition.
The Visconti-Sforza deck continues to influence modern tarot design and interpretation, serving as a testament to the artistic and cultural sophistication of the Italian Renaissance. Its imagery provides insight into both the social world of 15th-century Italy and the evolution of cartomantic symbolism.
Several cards from the original deck have been lost to time, including the Devil, the Tower, and three of the Knights. These missing pieces represent significant historical gaps in our understanding of early tarot symbolism. The lost cards are known only through later reproductions and historical descriptions, adding an air of mystery to the deck's legacy. Modern reproductions often recreate these missing cards based on contemporary artistic styles and symbolism from the period.