I have the Chosson and the Rhenan, which I understand to be essentially identical to the Piatnik, just retitled, and maybe the colors are a little different between the prints. The Rhenan is published by Piatnik, and supposedly has the same cardstock according to old threads I saw when researching the decks. (Someone had a copy of each.) [...]
I love them both, and they are so different it would be difficult to chose just one. In fact, I will be getting the Madenié soon also, so I'm absolutely no help in the decision department.
ETA: My two favorite details of the decks: the angular chin of the Reine D'espee in the Rhenan, and the facial expression of the woman on the right in L'Amoureux in the Chosson.
Thank you SO much for the detailed opinions/experience, kalliope! Wow!!
I ended up purchasing the Chosson with my temporary Amazon Prime membership, so I actually have it at this point! And I must say I made the right decision for myself. I don't think I can play around with funds enough to get all three of these decks, at least not soon.
I'm actually surprised and think that I can read with the Chosson even with square corners! The Mongean shuffle is my friend
It's just SO gorgeous. People here seem to prefer the Madenié, but the Chosson cries out much more loudly to me. Must be my love of messy decks
The Chosson is a bit "warmer" and those lush color splashes are just charming.
Thank you so much for your account, I definitely plan on getting the Piatnik/Rhenan at some point because I am very curious about its cardstock, and also would like a reproduction with rounded corners for more rigorous handling. Cheers!
I love the Rhenan, which - as Kalliope says - is the same deck as the Piatnik. The colors in my Piatnik look a little warmer than the Rhenan, but that's the only visual difference between them and it might not apply to all of the printings.
Regarding the use of square-cornered cards, what I do is shuffle and spread another deck (any deck), and then do the identical layout with my square-cornered cards. That way, the facsimiles are not damaged in any way can be reordered easily after readings.
I have the Chosson and the Madenie, and they're both wonderful. If I had to choose, probably the Madenie would come out on top - but honestly, they're both stunning and the quality of Yves' work is second to none.
I must agree with you, Yves' work is just stunning! THANK YOU, YVES!!
As I said earlier, I actually enjoy mixing up the square-cornered cards
It requires patience and love, which is kind of nice and meditative to do before a reading! That being said, I certainly feel the need to be ultra-gentle with this deck but so so glad to have given it a home. It's stunning
So curious about that Piatnik still, but it'll have to wait
And lastly, as I said above, I think it's very interesting that like yourself, many seem to slightly prefer the Madenié. I enjoyed reading your opinions, and your statement about the Piatnik vs. Rhenan colors really helps. Thanks Astraea!