The Crystal Tarots

I think this deck could have been one of the most loved tarot decks in the world if (a) it had scenic pips (I don't mind but for millions it's a dealbreaker) and (b) it didn't switch the elements for Swords and Cups. Former is water, latter, air. It really turns thing on their head.

But the deck is exquisite - one of my unassailable favourites. I have trimmed versions, untrimmed versions, majors only version, different box versions. I just wish Lo Scarabeo would cut to the chase and just give us a nice big borderless "Professional Edition". I know it must be one of their biggest sellers as it's been in the catalogue for years.

With this deck you realise how good tarot art can be!

Le Fanu said:

I think this deck could have been one of the most loved tarot decks in the world if (a) it had scenic pips (I don't mind but for millions it's a dealbreaker) and (b) it didn't switch the elements for Swords and Cups. Former is water, latter, air. It really turns thing on their head.

But the deck is exquisite - one of my unassailable favourites. I have trimmed versions, untrimmed versions, majors only version, different box versions. I just wish Lo Scarabeo would cut to the chase and just give us a nice big borderless "Professional Edition". I know it must be one of their biggest sellers as it's been in the catalogue for years.

With this deck you realise how good tarot art can be!

Click to expand...

Is the majors-only version larger? It would do justice to the art.

The deck got me looking Trevisan up, and I found a lot of non-Tarot related art here and here. Her Tarot makes me want to build a villa in some remote Greek island and commission her to decorate the walls and the floors. It reminds me less of stained glass than of Greco-Roman mosaics.

FLizarraga said:

Is the majors-only version larger? It would do justice to the art.

The deck got me looking Trevisan up, and I found a lot of non-Tarot related art here and here. Her Tarot makes me want to build a villa in some remote Greek island and commission her to decorate the walls and the floors. It reminds me less of stained glass than of Greco-Roman mosaics.

Click to expand...

Yes Flizarraga and Le Fanu! Thank you for the links to her pages. Her art is TIMELESS and stunning. Would cover the walls of MY villa if I had one too. Am wondering if Lo Scarabeo EVER re-issues a deck w/ the needed improvements bc THIS deck should be LARGER and the white borders are just a shame! And why such boring pips? Not that I want RWS pips, just some creativity attached to them. I am planning on trimming my deck, but then they will be even smaller....<sniff>

Thank you thank you very much (in Elvis voice)

eta: looking at my 2004 ed., well the pips are too plain, but not THAT boring. Time to re-appreciate how beautiful these cards really are. (even w/ horrid white borders )

Majors-only deck is the same size as the full deck.

Cocobird55 said:

Majors-only deck is the same size as the full deck.

Click to expand...

Well it depends.
There is the wonderful Tarocchi d'Arte edition of the Tarocchi di Vetro (Crystal Tarot) with larger cards: 147 x 92 mm
This is an early Major only edition.
There are even several editions of this edition with different cardboard!
In this thread you will find some informations, some pics and also the nice photo from Nijinsky
As Le Fanu mentioned, the Fool is a copy of the Nijinsky photo
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=117739&highlight=vetro

Here is another interesting thread about the Crystal Tarot:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=106203&highlight=crystal
In this thread you can find pics of several editions too.

coredil said:

Well it depends.

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this, coredil. I can see there are differences not only in size, but in depth of coloring.

And I ended up saving kanji's thread posting Eudes Picard's book and even buying a copy of Poinsot's book (the 1945 edition), so your post has been really useful to me.

I have other decks based on the Picard "system," but it could be interesting to go back to the Crystal after studying it, see if it reads better.

FLizarraga said:

Is the majors-only version larger? It would do justice to the art.

Click to expand...

Yes, but the richness of colour is less in the majors only version. In terms of colouring , the newer editions are by far the best. What I want is one like the Universal Professional edition. Preferably with no borders.

Then I just know that this deck really would be one of my most used ones. I use it a lot as it is but the standard edition just doesn't have the wow factor which the artwork deserves. It is a deck which begs to be bathed in, wallowed in, ovewhelmed by, and those borders just stop me from tumbling right in.

kwaw's 2nd posting in this thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=210943 just explained the minors (sceptre/wands) for me.
This is a system (Eudes Picard's?) I did not know existed til now. Interesting! Ordered the book hoping to learn more about symbology and divination in general, and Paul Huson's book while I was at it lol.

Le Fanu said:

I think this deck could have been one of the most loved tarot decks in the world if (a) it had scenic pips (I don't mind but for millions it's a dealbreaker) and (b) it didn't switch the elements for Swords and Cups. Former is water, latter, air. It really turns thing on their head.

Click to expand...

Interesting, this elemental switch-er-oo. In the thread IHeartRescues linked, it is quoted, "The swords and the scepters are straight, and symbolise action, while the coins and cups being circular, symbolise passivity". I automatically think "Swords/Active/Air", and "Cups/Passive/Water". Can't wrap my head around air being passive, and water being active.

IHeartRescues said:

kwaw's 2nd posting in this thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=210943 just explained the minors (sceptre/wands) for me.
This is a system (Eudes Picard's?) I did not know existed til now. Interesting! Ordered the book hoping to learn more about symbology and divination in general, and Paul Huson's book while I was at it lol.

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing the link. There is a wealth of useful information throughout that thread!