Medieval & Renaissance Cards

Medieval & Renaissance Tarot cards and decks, emulating or in an artistic style of medieval times or the Renaissance period.

Arcus Arcanum Tarot The Arcus Arcanum Tarot is a more male-oriented deck, and has brightly coloured, scenic comic-book type artwork. It uses the typical suits of cups, wands, swords and disks.

Gioconda - Il Volto e L'Anima Gioconda - Il Volto e L'Anima is an Italian Tarot deck of 22 cards. These unusual cards show aspects of Gioconda - Mona Lisa, in English - and reflect on the identity of the most famous work by Leonardo da Vinci.

Giotto Tarot A tarot in the style of 13th century Italian painter Giotto di Bondone, which seems unusually still and posed to my modern eye. But the Giotto Tarot is a workable deck, once you are familiar with its system.

Golden Tarot The Golden Tarot is a sumptuous collage Tarot deck, skilfully blending medieval and Renaissance artwork into whole Tarot scenes. Long known as a digital deck, the Golden Tarot is now in print from US Games. The edition comes in a sturdy box with a companion book, and cards with gilt edges.

Golden Tarot of the Renaissance The Golden Tarot of the Renaissance is based on the fifteenth-century French deck, the Charles VI (also known as the Estensi) of which only 17 cards remain. Lo Scarabeo's full set of 78 cards have been created in attractive watercolours and finished with a gold leaf background.

Hudes Tarot The figures and scenes in the Hudes Tarot cards are very medieval/Renaissance style, and maps, constellation charts, astrology and alchemy all make an appearance in this pretty but somewhat melancholy Tarot deck.

Le Macchine di Leonardo Le Macchine di Leonardo is a majors-only Tarot deck in Italian. The rectangular cards are non-standard, with inset images of Leonardo da Vinci's machines, inventions, and creations matched to the 22 Tarot cards.

Medieval Cat Tarot The Medieval Cat Tarot is an elegant deck of aristocratic felines in Renaissance dress and style. The 78 cards have traditional roots but have been updated and simplified in symbolism, making it suitable for beginners and the more experienced reader.

Medieval Enchantment: Nigel Jackson Tarot Based on Medieval/Renaissance symbolism and Pythagorean numerology, the Nigel Jackson Tarot looks polished and authentic. Bear in mind it associates Swords with Fire and Wands with Air, but it's a deck worth adding to any tarot collection. Reprinted by Llewellyn in 2004 as the Medieval Enchantment: Nigel Jackson Tarot.

Medieval Scapini Tarot The cards of the Medieval Scapini Tarot, by Luigi Scapini, are in the European Tarot style. It's a wonderful deck with a very authentic Middle Ages feel and look to the card artwork.

Medieval Tarot The Medieval Tarot is from the same author who illustrated the Bruegel Tarot and the Giotto Tarot, but this is a more generic deck of the Middle Ages in scene and costume.

Modern Medieval Tarot The Modern Medieval Tarot is a mix of the contemporary and the Middle Ages, blended in a smooth photographic collage. Rather than aiming for historical accuracy, it's a surreal dream-like combination of eras.

Old English Tarot The medieval English style artwork has a has a wonderful soft, old-fashioned look. The majors are quite simple figures, while the minor arcana show the suit elements and a tiny scene at the base of the card.

Psycards The PsyCards are a set of 40 cards inspired by Carl Jung's works, with attractive medieval-style art. It has some correspondences with the major arcana of the tarot, but also has extra cards for simple readings. The cards are divided into groupings: Direction, Fundamentals, Symbols, Archetypes, Characters, and Happenings.

Renaissance Tarot The Renaissance Tarot deck has gorgeous artwork with touches of gold. All twelve deities of Olympus and several other Greek and Roman gods and demigods are pictured in the major arcana. The minor arcana are pips illustrated with small scenes from Greek mythology.

Renaissance Tarot Another tarot deck inspired by the Renaissance historical period, this Renaissance Tarot makes heavy use of gold paint and interesting embossed-looking art.

Shakespeare Oracle The Shakespeare Oracle is actually a 78-card Tarot deck, despite the name (which was chosen to differentiate the deck from others with similar themes). The major cards feature characters from the Bard's plays. The minor arcana are pip cards, but feature a relevant Shakespearian quote inscribed on a white banner in the centre.

Shakespeare Tarot Also known as the Romeo and Juliet Tarot, the Shakespeare Tarot is a beautiful deck from artist Luigi Scapini where the cards are linked with scenes and characters from the Bard's plays. The minor arcana feature the pips, but also include colourful illustrations.

Shakespearian Tarot Based on Shakespeare's many and varied plays, the Shakespearian Tarot deck shows Romeo and Juliet as the Lovers, Hamlet as the Hanged Man and Lear the Hermit. Each card has a quote from a Shakespeare play which matches the image.

Ship of Fools Tarot The Ship of Fools Tarot is a pen-and-ink tarot blending classical tarot symbolism with the illustrations and ideas of Das Narrenschiff (The Ship of Fools), a satiric medieval German poem warning against over 100 vices and follies.

Tarocchi Omaggio a Federico II Tarocchi Omaggio a Federico II is a limited edition Italian Tarot. It has 78 glossy, oversized cards that are nearly four times the size of usual Tarot cards and feature detailed medieval-style scenes.

Tarots of the Renaissance The Tarots of the Renaissance cards are in an Italian Renaissance style, and was painted in what looks like watercolours. This Tarot deck is an interesting visual interpretation of a previous era.

Touchstone Tarot The Touchstone Tarot is a character-driven deck, with 78 tarot scenes digitally composed from Renaissance and Baroque paintings of the Old Masters. The second deck from Kat Black, the creator of the Golden Tarot, it's available in a self-published limited edition and a wonderful mass-market set from Kunati.