Tarocco Indovino

Sergio Ruffolo’s “Tarocco Indovino” is an expanded version of his “Lo Zodiaco” cartomancy deck, with the addition of 22 trumps, 4 Cavallos (knights), two new Consultante cards and a different back. All the figures wear medieval garb but are drawn in a distinctive, modern style using relatively soft colours. The 1980s were marked by a sense of openness to exploring alternative spiritual paths, and a growing interest in integrating New Age spirituality into daily life. Concepts like homeopathy, and herbal medicine, meditation, crystals and astrology began to be encountered at Mind, Body & Spirit fairs.

All the images on the suit cards are the same in both decks, but I've illustrated one Re and Donna to show their changed indices. The indices on the courts have been changed too: Kings become R for Re, Queens become D for Donna, C is for Cavallo, and Jacks become F for Fante. The cards in each suit are numbered from 1 to 14, (with Re being 1, and Asso 14), in a white circle at bottom left; whereas the majors are numbered in a black circle.

Above: Tarocco Indovino designed by Sergio Ruffolo, produced by Dal Negro, Treviso, Italy, 1979. The deck is housed in a large rectangular hard plastic box with an outer cardboard sleeve, complete with instructions in Italian. Cards measure 106 x 62 mm.