Sherryl
When I first became aware of the existence of the TdM, at least 15 years ago, I thought it was ugly because the garish, red-white-blue Grimaud deck was the only one I knew. Now my favorites are facsimiles, so I can pretend I've inherited the deck from a distant ancestor who read cards by candlelight on a side street in a European town.
I'm with Le Fanu that the Pierre Madenie has everything. The lines are sharp, and the colors don't slop over the lines. The colors are deep and restful to look at. The faces are extraordinary. The eyes are bright, the features well-delineated, and they all seem to have a slightly amused look about them.
At first, the TdM was just an historical artifact that I collected while doing research for my website. Once I started reading with them, my reading style was transformed, and the change washed over into how I read with fully illustrated decks.
My favorites for reading: The Madenie - when I first opened the box it jumped out and smacked me in the face. My workhorse deck for over a decade has been the Avondo Brothers 1880 knock-off of the Soprafino, which Lo Scarabeo as renamed the Ancient Italian Tarot. It's rather ornate, so there's lots of imagery to work with.
I'm with Le Fanu that the Pierre Madenie has everything. The lines are sharp, and the colors don't slop over the lines. The colors are deep and restful to look at. The faces are extraordinary. The eyes are bright, the features well-delineated, and they all seem to have a slightly amused look about them.
At first, the TdM was just an historical artifact that I collected while doing research for my website. Once I started reading with them, my reading style was transformed, and the change washed over into how I read with fully illustrated decks.
My favorites for reading: The Madenie - when I first opened the box it jumped out and smacked me in the face. My workhorse deck for over a decade has been the Avondo Brothers 1880 knock-off of the Soprafino, which Lo Scarabeo as renamed the Ancient Italian Tarot. It's rather ornate, so there's lots of imagery to work with.