Jean Noblet Tarot de Marseille

Believed to be the earliest example of the ‘Tarot de Marseille’, this deck produced by Jean Noblet of Saint Germain, Paris, in around 1650 is highly esteemed by historians and experts due to its beauty and elegance of design. The whole composition, including serene facial expressions and neat colouring, is beautifully executed. It represents an original source of all later Tarot de Marseille decks in which the symbolism has not yet been corrupted.

Above: cards from the Tarot de Marseille by Jean Noblet, Paris, c.1650, preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. 78 cards: stencil coloured woodcut; 9.2 x 5.7 cm. Name and address on the two of cups, monogram "I. N." on the crest of the Chariot, another mention of address on the two of coins: "Iean Noblet Dm.t Av Favbovr St Germain". Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF • Jeu de tarot à enseignes italiennes dit "tarot Noblet"►

Further Reading

Christine Payne-Towler: The Continental Tarots►