Query About Tarot Rhenan (Piatnik)

Today at a metaphysical fair, I found a Marseille-style deck whose battered box identifies it as Tarot Rhenan by Ignaz Krebs, published by Piatnik in 1983. A search on Aeclectic yielded photographs of the deck on one of the many fine Table of Contents threads in the historical forum, but I was unable to find information about the deck. Can anyone give me a bit of background? Thank you in advance.

I will need to check to see what the Encyclopedias have about this deck later.

Of the top of my head, however, the deck is 'simply' a Marseille style deck. In a number of these, some of the details are not as clearly delineated as on either the Conver or the Dodal - and this is such an example.

More of the cards, by the way, may also be seen on the Somerville site.

As a general addition to one's Marseille collection, and for another example and its historical replica merit, it is terrific. As a general one to have, it is also well worth having if its peculiar form appeals, or if its older style likewise appeals.

I personally rate it as a deck which, however, lacks some of the grace of some other Marseille, yet one which remains generally true to the tradition.

Thanks, jmd, that's helpful. I like the deck very much, though I agree that it lacks the grace of some other Marseille decks. And I'm glad to learn that it's true to the tradition.

About Krebs deck

Hello again

According to Kaplan, Ignaz Krebs was active in Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany)
in the 18th century.
(You can see the pictures of this deck in Kaplan III, p628.)

I think this deck is a mixture of TdM and TdB (Tarot de Besancon) in design.
The trumps III, IIII, VIIII, X, XI, XVIII, XVIIII, and XX have all typical TdB styles.
So the engraver should have referred to a TdB deck, maybe one produced in around Strasbourg.

Interestingly, most of the other trumps look quite similar to the cards in the deck by
C. F. Carrajat of Chambery (Kaplan II, p335), which is seemingly a descendent deck of
"Claude Thomasset, Switzerland" (Kaplan II, p319).

And in addition, in some respects another (or more) TdM deck(s) may have had influence
on the Krebs deck:
For example, Krebs' "The Fool" card has the French title "LE MAT", while TdBs,
Thomasset and Carrajat all have "LE FOL (or FOU)".


Note: Freiburg im Breisgau is quite near to the German border with France (Strasbourg!)
and that with Switzerland. And this city went through the occupation by France a few times
in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Hi there, Kenji!

Thank you so much for this information. It really helps a deck to "come alive" when one knows its background, place and date of birth, and the influences on its creator. I am enjoying getting to know this Tarot Rhenan. Thank you again.

Hi Astraea,
I'm glad I could be of some help to you

Indeed this deck looks crude but, historycally speaking,
it's very interesting.

Aaah, hah! The dark, the mysterious, the unspoken-of is at last spoken of . . .

(Thanks for the thread Astraea, I've been wondering about this deck lately too. I didn't know it was called 'Rhenan'; both alidastore & the scans page which links from our H&I table of contents list it simply as TdM.)

That is how it appeared to me, too, Punchinella, so I was interested to learn where the Rhenan fits in the spectra of history and symbolism. I am finding this a very appealing deck.