Grotesques Tarot - Tarocco delle Grottesche (1595), edited by Giordano Berti

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The Grotesques Tarot is a deck designed by Giordano Berti using the Grotesque Alphabet engraved in Germany in 1595 by Johann Theodor De Bry.
The original etchings were brought to color by the Milanese artist Miriam Laffranchi.
The deck is accompanied by a booklet by Giordano Berti (19 pages) in which the life of the Rosicrucian publisher Johann Theodor De Bry is narrated and the way to use these cards is explained.
The English translation is by Vic Berti.
The deck and booklet are contained in a splendid book-shaped box, with gilt metal corners and red velvet interior, designed by Letizia Rivetti.
The Grotesques Tarot has been produced in a limited edition of 777 numbered copies signed by Giordano Berti.
The deck is entirely Made in Italy in April 2023 by OM Edizioni and Rinascimento Italian Style Art, under the artistic direction of Giordano Berti.
Available on ETSY:
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DE BRY'S ALPHABET
Johann Theodor De Bry (Liege 1561 - Frankfurt 1623) was a very refined artist. Among the many works by him we should mention the illustrations for a monumental "History of the New World" which is still appreciated by all bibliophiles today.
A key detail of De Bry's life was his substantial support for the Rosicrucian movement; it was he, in fact, who oversaw the publication of the works of numerous hermeticists, including Robert Fludd and Michael Maier.
De Bry's "Grotesque Alphabet" must necessarily be compared to the biblical tradition but its link with the Kabbalah is not overlooked, certainly known to De Bry, at least in its essential lines, thanks to his acquaintance with Fludd).
In fact, according to the Kabbalah, the letters of the alphabet are the very foundation of universal creation and are reflected both in the Macrocosm and in the human being.
However, the main characters of this magnificent work of art are absolutely detached from the biblical text; one could define them as “actors looking for a scenic space”. That space is, to all intents and purposes, a symbolic dimension by meditating on which we can detach ourselves from material reality and ascend to a higher dimension.
THE GROTESQUES TAROT
In De Bry's alphabet, composed of 24 letters, there are numerous similarities with the 22 Arcana of the Tarot. Hence the decision to transform those images into a real Tarot deck, including all 24 images so as not to demean De Bry's work.
These similarities confirm, once again, the universality of a "game", the Tarot, which by virtue of its contents is able to open up to ever new artistic suggestions, crossing geographical borders and historical periods, while keeping intact the meanings deeper, hermetically hidden in a tangle of symbols.
The Grotesques Tarot consists of the "translation" in the form of playing cards of the 2
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CARDS :
- 22 + 2 EXTRA CARDS
Size of the cards : 154 x 80 mm = inches 6.062" x 3.149"
WARRANTY :
Deck's number and signature by Giordano Berti.
BOOKLET :
19 pages, AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH or ITALIAN, written by Giordano Berti, with historical news, meanings of the cards and a simple reading method.
EDITORIAL NEWS :
Project and Texts : Giordano Berti
ILLUSTRATIONS : Johann Theodor De Bry (1595)
COLORS : Miriam Laffranchi (2023)
LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC : ArtStudioLetizia
DESIGN OF THE BOX : Letizia Rivetti
PUBLISHING : OM Edizioni and Rinascimento Italian Style ArT

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What a beautiful masterpiece of a tarot!

[@GiordanoBerti]

Available on ETSY etsy.com/it/listing/1484305797/tarot-of-the-grotesques-1595-22-2