Le Monde Primitif Tarot
Facsimile edition produced by Morena Poltronieri & Ernesto Fazioli of Museo Internazionale dei Tarocchi, 2021.
T-6he boxed set includes 22 major arcana cards plus four aces with an explanatory leaflet. The leaflet helpfully gives a summary of Court de Gébelin’s life and references his essay on the tarot, which appeared in vol.8 of his “Le Monde Primitif” published in 1781.
De Gébelin proposed that the tarot was a repository of ancient Egyptian wisdom, distilled by priests from the Book of Thoth. His writing exerted a profound influence on later writers, even though most of his assertions were found to be incorrect. He often resorted to hyperbole and exaggeration [Hall, 2016, p.131]. However, his belief in the mystical origins of tarot has turned out to have played a significant role in the modern esoteric understanding of Tarot.
De Gébelin suggested in "Le Monde Primitif” that the four suits in the tarot relate to the four castes of Egyptian society (See excerpt). He also believed that the 22 trumps are allegorical representations of secular and spiritual heads of society, leaders of agriculture, cardinal virtues, marriage, death, ressurrection, the sage, the fool, time, etc (second excerpt). The plates of the cards in the “Le Monde Primitif” book follow the Tarot de Marseille pattern, which is late medieval European, and is where de Gébelin believed he could see an Egyptian origin: "J'y jette les yeux, & aussi-tôt j'en reconnois l'Allégorie / I cast my eyes, and immediately recognize the Allegory" [p.367]. The facsimile edition reproduces each card with a black border with a title and number at the bottom.
Further References
Hall, Evalyne K.: Du Jeu des Tarots et Recherches sur les Tarots, Evalyne's Garden Gate, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, 2016
Vine, David: Vintage Tarot Texts, Editions letarot.com, 2022
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
Trending Articles
Related Articles
Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.
Le Monde Primitif Tarot
Facsimile edition produced by Morena Poltronieri & Ernesto Fazioli of Museo Internazionale dei Taroc...
I Tarocchi del Buongustaio
A less-than-serious set of major arcana on a gourmet theme, with designs by Cosimo Musio.
Tarot for Baby
This board book simplifies tarot archetypes into accessible affirmations for young children.
Animal Tarot by Johann Jobst Forster
French-suited 78-card animal tarot deck of the Bavarian type.
Poker Lusso
Richly costumed courts on a luxury poker pack from Masenghini.
Le Roi bridge
Reprint of a Piatnik (Budapest) pack of 1927 with Hungarian historical figures and scenic aces.
Pinocchio playing cards
Comic book drawings inspired by Carlo Collodi’s children’s classic, Pinocchio.
Le Ore playing cards
Caricatures of famous personalities from the late 1970s for the Italian magazine Le Ore.
Carte Romantiche Italiane
Scenes of life and the theatre in Milan towards the second half of the 19th century.
Lo Stampatore
‘Lo Stampatore’ linocut images created by Sergio Favret, published as a deck of cards by Editions So...
Leonardo collection
Leonardo collection playing cards with drawings from his notebooks.
Lo Cartescacco / Chess playing cards
Playing cards designed by F. Romagnoli bringing together Chess and Bridge, Italy, c. 1981.
Il Vostro Destino
Italian fortune-telling pack produced by Viassone and later by Masenghini.
Jeu Bonaparte
Jeu Bonaparte depicting the extended family of Napoleon Bonaparte, France, 1978
Jeu des Bonnets Phrygiens
Reproduction of Jeu des Bonnets Phrygiens relating to the Phrygian cap (or liberty cap), France, 198...
San Paolo Shakespeare
San Paolo Shakespeare, Italy, 1978
Le Carte di Forattini
Political caricatures by Giorgio Forattini published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Italy, 1993.
San Paolo Chekhov
Characters from Chekhov’s plays designed by Paolo Fresu for San Paolo Istituto Bancario, Italy, c.19...
Storia del Fascismo - gioco di carte
‘Storia del Fascismo’ playing cards depicting persons, symbols and artifacts associated with Italian...
The Lovers playing cards
Reproductions of old postcards with romantic messages for Valentine’s Day.
I Gatti Originali di Evelyne Nicod
Etchings of cats on a set of major arcana created by Evelyne Nicod.
Carte Osteologiche
Skulls and bones of all descriptions have become the suits and pips in this 40-card pack from Italy....
Marcello Morandini
Modern designs by Italian artist Marcello Morandini using the simplest of forms and colours.
Tarot de Madrid
Black-and-white photographs of models whose faces are made up using elements found on the major arca...
Portrait de Fribourg
Fine reproduction of a Fribourg pattern pack, originally by Jean-Jacques Burdel.
FDR New Deal Deck
Facsimile of ‘FDR New Deal Deck’ of 1934 re-published by Bill Schroeder, USA, 2010.
Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger
Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger, Passau, Bavaria, early 19th century.
Animal Tarot by Joseph Fetscher
French-suited Natural History Tarot deck by Joseph Fetscher, Munich, c.1820.
Winstanley Geographical cards
Facsimile of Winstanley’s Geographical cards produced by Harold & Virginia Wayland, 1967.
Meal Tub Plot
Meal Tub Plot playing cards [facsimile] with 17th century sketches by Francis Barlow.
Mythological and Allegorical tarot
Mythological and Allegorical tarot produced by Peter Paul Fetscher junior, Munich.
The Tarot Strikes Back
Roy Huteson Stewart's The Tarot Strikes Back combines Star Wars with Rider-Waite tarot imagery.
Animal Tarot by Andreas Benedict Göbl
French-suited Animal Tarot deck produced by Andreas Benedict Göbl, Munich.
Swiss Scenic Tarock
Scenic Tarock deck produced by Fabrique de Cartes J. Müller & Cie (Schaffhouse), Suisse.
Costumes of Turkey Tarot
‘National Costumes of Turkey’ tarot by Industrie Comptoir, Leipzig, c.1800-1825.
Natural History Tarot
Natural History Tarot published by G M, Germany, early 19th C.
Animal Tarot by J. B Dubois
French-suited Bavarian Animal Tarot by J B Dubois, Liège, Belgium, late 18th C.
Æsop’s Fables tarot
French-suited Æsop’s fables tarot produced by Leipzig Industrie Comptoir, c.1800-1825.
Animal Tarot by J. T Dubois
Early 19th century Animal Tarot pack produced by J T Dubois, Liège, Belgium.
Animal Tarot by G. Larmoyer
Flemish Animal Tarot deck by G. Larmoyer, Liège, 1753.