Serravalle-Sesia Tarot
Serravalle-Sesia Tarot published by Fratelli Avondo, c.1880.
This beautiful and inspiring late 19th century tarot set was produced by an anonymous artist and published in Serravalle-Sesia, Italy in 1880. The publisher is believed to be Fratelli Avondo. The designs are inspired by an earlier pack created in 1835 by the Lombard engraver Carlo Dellarocca. The cards have fine detail with plenty of old world charm, and the colouring, costumes and backgrounds are all richly detailed, which makes them very attractive for card readers. The numbers on the Trump cards are shown in all four corners, with the lower right numbers upside-down to aid in interpreting reversals.
Above: Serravalle-Sesia Tarot originally published by Fratelli Avondo, c.1880; facsimile edition by Lo Scarabeo, 2000. The card titles are in Italian. The Ace of Coins has the Italian duty stamp which reads: "Cartiera Italiana, Serravalle-Sesia". Size = 106x58 mm.
See also: “Tarocco Neoclassico” c.1810 • Carlo Dellarocca's “Tarocchino Lombardo” 1835 • Mitelli Tarocchini • Tarocco della “Corona Ferrea” • Tarocco Piemontese • Matarelli Transformation • Tavaglione Stairs of Gold Tarot • Minchiate • "Etruria" Minchiate • Tarocchi di Mantegna • Tarocco Bolognese • Visconti Tarocchi.
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.
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