Which of the fun, colourful Marseille variants do you enjoy?

Scarlet Woodland

I did a lot of research before I bought my first Marseilles deck and I chose the Fournier ones. My reasons:

* They brightened the colour of the images with "respect" to the artwork.

* The names of the cards are in the original woodblock French, giving it a more authentic feel. With the Lo Scarabeo versions, they put the multi-language text on them, which brings me to:

* The image takes up almost all of the card - I bought one of the Lo Scarabeo decks that had multi-language descriptions and it put me off. I find I prefer the ones with minimalist text.

So yes, very happy with the Fournier deck. The only complaint I have is Le Pendu is slightly blurry compared to the rest. Not sure if that was just my deck or it affected an entire run.

I'm coming down on the side of the Fournier for exactly these reasons :) The multi language thing is something I usually try to overlook but with a Marseille you really want it to feel authentic. Just have to dig down the back of the sofa for some cash first :D I hate February.
 

Le Fanu

Yes, the unfortunately named ISIS deck. Breathtaking colours, sharp, crisp lines, lovely pink hands and just so beautifully expressive.

This is the most gorgeously readable non-pure Marseilles in the universe.
 

Scarlet Woodland

Actually...my fun and colourful fave is the Marseilles Cat tarot ;) Guilty pleasure!

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/marseille-cat-tarot/

Have oft been tempted by the kitties :D Can't quite decide if the little cats on the minors would constitute cheating... am sure I'll cave in the end either way :)

My favorite is Mon Tarot de Marseille from tarotland.

Here is a video- skip to about minute 5 for the view of the cards. I think there may be an app for it too. It is a gorgeous deck and I do like reading with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxIehPDGir4

www.tarotland.com

Thanks for the link :)

You know, on paper I shouln't like this deck... but I kind of love it :D
 

Padma

Have oft been tempted by the kitties :D Can't quite decide if the little cats on the minors would constitute cheating... am sure I'll cave in the end either way :)

You won't regret it - and the kitties on the minors don't do much except sit there and be cute! They are not overtly illustrative. I don't love Marseilles decks, so this is the only one I can enjoy reading with (or - even - own!)

Penthasilia, I like your Marseilles choice as well :) That's an interesting approach! Fresh, and modern.
 

Krystal Mystic

I read almost exclusively with Marseille decks and Marseille-style variants. One of my favorites is a deck that I think of as a Marseille-variant. It is the Ancient Italian Tarot published by Lo Scarabeo. The deck was originally produced in 1880 in Italy. When you compare the cards to an older Marseille deck, such as a Nicholas Conver, you can see that the imagery is obviously based on Marseille symbolism. The drawings and coloring are more detailed, and you might find it has a warmer, more inviting feel than a traditional Marseille deck. This was a deck that really ignited my love for doing readings and helped me transition to using the older, more traditional Marseille decks.

The deck is easy to come by. Aeclectic has a good review of this deck and pics of some of the cards: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/ancient-italian/review.shtml

You can also see some scans of the cards at http://www.albideuter.de/html/alt-italienisch.html
 

Spectre Made Flesh

I read almost exclusively with Marseille decks and Marseille-style variants. One of my favorites is a deck that I think of as a Marseille-variant. It is the Ancient Italian Tarot published by Lo Scarabeo. The deck was originally produced in 1880 in Italy. When you compare the cards to an older Marseille deck, such as a Nicholas Conver, you can see that the imagery is obviously based on Marseille symbolism. The drawings and coloring are more detailed, and you might find it has a warmer, more inviting feel than a traditional Marseille deck. This was a deck that really ignited my love for doing readings and helped me transition to using the older, more traditional Marseille decks.

The deck is easy to come by. Aeclectic has a good review of this deck and pics of some of the cards: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/ancient-italian/review.shtml

You can also see some scans of the cards at http://www.albideuter.de/html/alt-italienisch.html

Great suggestion, I second this recommendation - the Ancient Italian is the deck I use the most. I got it in 2013 and am still kind of in awe of its elegance when I look at it. (Strange, though, that the review here is glowingly positive, yet curiously the star rating is only 3 out of 5!?)

I'm not sure I think of it strictly as a Marseille variant, though there are of course similarities. From what I gather, the Ancient Italian is a reproduction of an 1880 deck, which itself was inspired by the Soprafino deck by Della Rocca in 1835 which looks very similar. I agree that the Ancient Italian is a good option for people wanting an old school style deck which is aesthetically pleasing.