Renaissance Tarot

I've read the tarot, professionally for fifteen years. I wouldn't consider myself a collector, because I've only relied on using two decks in particular; this one- the Renaissance tarot by Brian Williams, and another. I've owned two copies of this deck, both printed in 1987. I respect the amount of research the artist and author put towards the making of this deck. The overall aesthetic is purely classic, and lives up to its name. Nowadays, most tarot decks are just geared for novelty, and are, for me; distasteful. The Renaissance tarot by Brian Williams is a gem! I also admire that it can easily be identified as an LGBTQ friendly deck, with themes throughout the deck that seem homo-erotic.*Disclaimer*This deck is not a Waite-Smith "clone". It was designed with the Marseille in mind, and works best when read in that fashion.

I've been practicing Tarot for about 3 years, and this is my 5th deck that I've gone through since I started. I can safely say that this is the deck that I want to use from now on.I never felt such a connection to a deck before as I do with this one. I've always kept my Tarot Decks in their original packaging, but this is the first deck I want to take care of and wrap in a silk scarf because this deck actually holds meaning to me.There are so many reasons why I like this deck, so I might as well list them for you, and then you can decide if this deck is for you.1) The artwork impresses me beyond words. The Major Arcana cards in particular have so much detail in the time spent on their backgrounds. There are tiny small golden lines that irradiate from the characters and objects of the card, which fills me with such awe and inspiration. As an occasional artist I appreciate the painstaking patience that went into these cards.2) The color gold works remarkably well with these cards. To me gold is the color of purity. It is the color I picture in my mind when I want to clear out my mind and seek clarity. So a card that is enveloped by the color gold makes it naturally easy for me to clear my mind and focus on the reading at hand.3) The Minor Arcana tell a story in such a way that I never felt they did with my other decks. In this deck, each suit tells the story of a Mythological hero or heroine. The cups tell the story of the love between Eros and Psyche. The staves tell about the trials of Herakles. The swords tell the story of Achilles and the coins tell the story of Persephone. I've always loved mythology, and so I'm deeply interested in the stories these cards tell. Also, I feel like the trials and tribulations of these great Greek heroes can easily be compared to the trials we face: Betrayal, Love, Tests of Courage, Unforeseen Obstacles. We live the struggles of the Greek Heroes and Heroines, and I think that's why these stories are so captivating.4) Because of reason number 3, I believe these cards are a lot easier for beginners to understand than other decks. Each card shows experiences that we can easily relate to and understand and then apply to our reading. It's easy because the stories are already there. We just have to look at the pictures, see the story, and feel how we are like these heroes and heroines.5) Court Cards tend to be the most difficult cards to understand while learning Tarot. At least this was the case for me. I don't have this trouble with these cards as much, and maybe it's because the artist associated each court card with a sign of the Zodiac, except for the Kings which are associated with a ruling planet. Staves are Air signs. The Page of Staves is Aquarius, the Knight of Staves is Gemini, the Queen of Staves is Libra, and the King of Staves is Jupiter and Venus. Cups are obviously water signs. The Page of Cups is Pisces, the Knight of Cups is Scorpio, the Queen of Cups is Cancer, and the King of Cups is Mercury and the Moon. Coins are Earth signs. The Page of Coins is Capricorn, the Knight of Coins is Taurus, the Queen of Coins is Virgo, and the King of Coins is Saturn and Earth. The Swords are Fire signs. The Page of Swords is Sagittarius, the Knight of Swords is Leo, the Queen of Swords is Aries, and the King of Swords is the Sun and Mars. This added dimension to the cards makes it much easier to see similarities between the cards and people or the general idea of their meaning. If you enjoy astrology, this deck should greatly satisfy you.Those are the main reasons, but there are other little things I like, such as the Major Arcana having an animal, a Greek god or goddess, and a Hebrew symbol associated with each card. I find these themes and symbols fascinating. Also, as an admirer of the male physique, I greatly appreciate the nude men drawn in the Renaissance style. The women are done very well too, but as a gay male I can mainly attest to how well the males are drawn. I also particularly appreciate the Sun and Moon cards, which show two men for the Sun and two women for the Moon, who look very much in love. It is subtle, but I can't help but wonder if the artist is gay because of this notion of portraying these two cards in this way. Regardless, these two cards deeply move me and I get a special kind of pleasure when I flip over either of these two cards. :)All in all, like I said, this is most definitely my most favorite Tarot deck. I do my readings only with this deck now, and I'm so glad that I was able to get my hands on it. It is out of print, so if this review resonates with you I deeply suggest snagging a deck now. If this review doesn't resonate with you, I suggest leaving it for someone who it does. It doesn't seem like there are that many decks left at this time, so it would be nice to leave some for those that can truly appreciate this deck. :)

There is no doubt that the classical artwork is beautiful and pleasing to look at, especially the Major Arcana and Court Cards. However, I'm not a fan of this deck's pip cards as I love artwork that at least somewhat aligns with traditional imagery. If I didn't know basic meanings already, I'd be confused by many of the pip cards because their meanings do not speak to me. This is the first time I'm not feeling a bond with a Tarot deck; but I'll continue to work with it to see what happens.I like the smooth feel of the card and the quality seems decent if a bit on the thinner side. The two cons for me are: 1) I prefer my cards to be centered, yet these are off. The left border is much larger than the right. I don't understand the lack of quality control in printing that happens with a deck every now and then. 2) The back cover design clearly shows uprights and reversals, which is my biggest peeve. Because of this feature, I already know this is one of the last decks I'll pick for meaningful readings.If you don't mind the same things I do, I think this deck would be a good add for collecting.P.S. This deck smells faintly of licorice!

The card stock is great, and I connect wonderfully! This is definitely a new favorite - gave great readings with it!That being said, it did take me a minute to get into the art style - seemed off for me at first, but it's all good now.

The style is pretty, but a strange mix of Renaissance with a kind of deco glam feel. Is that weird? I'm not sure I am describing them right. They are beautiful, and they smell great. The cards have all the right symbols and maybe they are the right deck for someone else, but not for me.

This is a beautiful deck but why would you ever deliver it in this condition?

I was a bit disappointed that the 'regular' cards are not developed illustrations (like the Rider Wait deck) but only 6 staves or 5 disks, etc. The court cards are beautifully illustrated though. And the corresponding book is very comprehensive.

love the deck and the greek theme.

I owned this deck when it first came out. I have long since gone away from tarot and magic. Recently, however, the pull to return has grown and I felt it necessary to purchase this specific deck once again. The art in the deck is amazing. I can sit and study the cards for hours - and I do. the choice of colour, the use of the Renaissance as a source and to tie it into the Tarot all work for me. The book is excellent and full of history of the tarot, as well as detailed information on each card. While everyone has their choice when it comes to cards, take a look at the deck. This set jumped out at me and has stuck. Excellent work.

Es uno de mis tarots favoritos. Y el dorado es precioso.

Excellent quality and conditionm