Visconti Reproductions (merged threads)

Mari_Hoshizaki said:

I believe the Dal Negro version for a historical fan surpasses the U.S. Games version for the following reasons:

1. The size is the same
Both decks have the same dimensions

2. The coloring, front and back, is more accurate.


The serpentine Visconti coat of arms is stamped on the front of the booklet.

I did a google search of Visconti and Lomgobardica and came up with a commentary of the coat of arms of the Visconti.

http://translate.google.com/transla...sconti+longobardi&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Click to expand...

Thank you Mari for recommending the Dal Negro. I ordered it from Alida and it arrived yesterday, and it is simply stunning. It has made my Christmas much brighter, and already taught me a few things.

Happy holidays and fairest wishes to you and yours,

Ross

My 1975 reprint came

http://www.tarotgarden.com/library/decks/viscontiinfo.html

As I suspected, the Dal Negro version is virtually a copy, down to the Devil and Tower and the brochure-booklet. The case, pamphlet and cover sleeve of the 1975 museum version is handsome.
The impresse or printer listed is Nel Mese Di Luglio, but no artist who did the Devil and Tower.

However you'd only get this one if you wanted a somewhat lighter version of the cards without the light lamination and you are like me, wanting an old collection version that feels museum quality. This was about $150.00 used from a German bookseller listing it on Abebooks.com. I waited from November 22 to January 14th--the holidays and overseas mails. Yes, I budgeted for it and waited for more than a few months, but no one else picked it up. As an anniversary gift, I think this was wonderful...

I paid about $22 on ebay for a fine reproduction from Dal Negro that currently goes for about $45.00, which I believe includes shipping. Above I posted a link where you can see all the cards from the Dal Negro version--which I would recommend over Il Menghello and perhaps a consideration if you are thinking of paying about $40 for the darker copy of a copy U.S. Games version...the Dal Negro version was a bargain. You could try tarotgarden.com or Alidastore.com...Il Trigono might list it, but shipping costs are high.

So historical fans such as Ross Caldwell did very very good by going for the Dal Negro version...

Mari Hoshizaki

background-decoration

The background at

http://trionfi.com/01/x/

is decorated in a special manner

I'm going to add a note to both this thread

and Visconti Reproductions.

There is ONE U.S. Games version if you find it that I would recommend as good as the Dal Negro reproduction that I posted about in this thread:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20172&highlight=visconti+reproductions

My raving about the silver and gold inks and excellent quality is slightly altered if you can find two 1975 printings of the Pierpont Morgan Tarocchi, one by U.S. Games, one by the Monumenta Longbardica in Bergamo.

I have found two Visconti Tarocchi reproductions on abebooks.com and one through E-Bay. My bid for about $20.00 on Ebay gave me the Dal Negro color large size reproduction with the Italian language commentary by Gabrielle Mandel at the Monumenta Longbardia. The Dal Negro version is an excellent reprint of the Italian 1974 or 1975 printing by the Monumental Longbardica. Gabrielle Mandel cites Tarocchi di Stuart Kaplan for the source of the Devil and Tower of the Dal Negro deck..

The source of the Devil and Tower was a 1975 printing of the Visconti Tarocchi with about released by U.S. Games under the direction of Stuart Kaplan when U.S. Games was in New York, in partnership with the Grafica Gutenberg in Bergamo. The artist is not named for the Devil and Tower.

I just received today through abebooks.com a 1975 printing of the U.S. Games Pierpont Morgan with the number 10 for the printing edition. The instructions are in English on unlaminated crisp paper stock and the Devil and Tower are the same as the Dal Negro edition. I paid $35.00 for a hardly used edition.

I compared the Dal Negro and 1975 U.S. Games version and the U.S. Games version comes out slightly ahead in terms of being unlaminated, easier to see some of the silvery accents and carved letters in cards such as the Wheel.

The only other version that seems slightly better is the Monumental Longbardica version printed in 1975 in the leatherette slipcase and has the original Gabrielle Mandel instructions in a paper-covered booklet. But I paid $160 for it to a German bookseller before I knew the others would be available to me.

For cards alone, available if you use the Alidastore.com or Tarotgarden.com ordering, I recommend the Dal Negro version...best wishes,

Mari H.

Recommendations...

My raving about the silver and gold inks and excellent quality is slightly altered if you can find two 1975 printings of the Pierpont Morgan Tarocchi, one by U.S. Games, one by the Monumenta Longbardica in Bergamo.

I have found two Visconti Tarocchi reproductions on abebooks.com and one through E-Bay. My bid for about $20.00 on Ebay gave me the Dal Negro color large size reproduction with the Italian commentary by Gabrielle Mandel at the Monumenta Longbardia. The Dal Negro version is an excellent reprint of the Italian 1974 or 1975 printing by the Monumental Longbardica. Gabrielle Mandel cites Tarocchi di Stuart Kaplan for the source of the Devil and Tower of the Dal Negro deck..

The source of the Devil and Tower was a 1975 printing of the Visconti Tarocchi released by U.S. Games under the Stuart Kaplan when U.S. Games was in New York. The 1975 printing was done in partnership with the Grafica Gutenberg in Bergamo. The artist is not named for the Devil and Tower.

I just received through abebooks.com a 1975 printing of the U.S. Games Pierpont Morgan with the number 10 for the printing edition. The instructions are in English on unlaminated crisp paper stock and the Devil and Tower are the same as the Dal Negro edition. I paid $35.00 for a hardly used edition.

I compared the Dal Negro and 1975 U.S. Games version and the U.S. Games version comes out slightly ahead in terms of being unlaminated, easier to see some of the silvery accents and carved letters in cards such as the Wheel.

The only other version that seems slightly better is the Monumental Longbardica version printed in 1975 in the leatherette slipcase and has the original Gabrielle Mandel instructions in a paper-covered booklet. But I paid $160 for it to a German bookseller before I knew the others would be available to me.

For cards alone, available if you use the Alidastore.com or Tarotgarden.com ordering, I recommend the Dal Negro version...best wishes,

Gulp--an artistic gilded reproduction

Really stunning!

http://www.garauart.com/web/tarot.htm

Choosing a photoreproduction Visconti-Sforza deck ...

As I understand it, there are three different large photoreproduction versions of the Visconti-Sforza:

U.S. Games
Dal Negro
Il Meneghello

I've been comparing the scans available over the Internet and it would appear that the Dal Negro is the best of the three in terms of brightness and in showing the details. However, I looked at a demo U.S. Games Visconti-Sforza at the store today, and the photoreproduction quality of the cards for brightness and detail didn't seem to be as bad as its scans on the Internet.

I'm curious what actual differences there are between the U.S. Games, Dal Negro and Il Meneghello versions, in terms of photoreproduction quality (brightness and in showing of detail). The Dal Negro is considerably higher priced. So, is it really worth it?

I wasn't planning to get the 'restored' Lo Scarabeo Visconti Gold deck, given that my mild allergy to gold foil decks would result in me hardly, if ever, getting those cards out of the box. However, if the quality differences between the various photoreproduction decks aren't that big, perhaps the best and most cost-effective way to go is the U.S. Games deck and, to help make out the details, the Visconti Gold deck/book set?

By the way, how is the book by Berti that comes with the Lo Scarabeo Visconti Gold set? Does it compare the images from the different Visconti versions, e.g., Visconti-Sforza vs. Cary-Yale? Does it tell us which Visconti family member is supposed to be illustrated by a given Visconti-Sforza card?

Thanks for any replies.

Hi Rusty,

Rusty Neon said:

As I understand it, there are three different large photoreproduction versions of the Visconti-Sforza:

U.S. Games
Dal Negro
Il Meneghello

I've been comparing the scans available over the Internet and it would appear that the Dal Negro is the best of the three in terms of brightness and in showing the details. However, I looked at a demo U.S. Games Visconti-Sforza at the store today, and the photoreproduction quality of the cards for brightness and detail didn't seem to be as bad as its scans on the Internet.

I'm curious what actual differences there are between the U.S. Games, Dal Negro and Il Meneghello versions, in terms of photoreproduction quality (brightness and in showing of detail). The Dal Negro is considerably higher priced. So, is it really worth it?

I wasn't planning to get the 'restored' Lo Scarabeo Visconti Gold deck, given that my mild allergy to gold foil decks would result in me hardly, if ever, getting those cards out of the box. However, if the quality differences between the various photoreproduction decks aren't that big, perhaps the best and most cost-effective way to go is the U.S. Games deck and, to help make out the details, the Visconti Gold deck/book set?

By the way, how is the book by Berti that comes with the Lo Scarabeo Visconti Gold set? Does it compare the images from the different Visconti versions, e.g., Visconti-Sforza vs. Cary-Yale? Does it tell us which Visconti family member is supposed to be illustrated by a given Visconti-Sforza card?

Thanks for any replies.

Click to expand...

This was extensively discussed on another thread by people who had all the versions. Especially see the informative comments by Mari Hoshizaki -

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?p=257916#post257916

If I only had one version, I would choose the Dal Negro.

I found Il Meneghello's colors inferior to both Dal Negro and U.S. Games. However, the packaging is the most attractive of the three (the three current available editions, that is. Mari made it clear that older editions of the Dal Negro (Lombardica) from the '70s were boxed as well).

The Berti and Gonard "Gold" Visconti is lovely, and the book the is very informative. I have the Spanish edition (bought it in Barcelona). Gonard does not discuss any speculations about relating Visconti and Sforza family to the court cards. I am not actually aware of anyone who has published a systematic presentation such as that, but I have not seen Dummett's book on the Visconti-Sforza deck.

However, the Berti and Gonard deck is a recreation, not a reproduction. So it is of no value in research.

With these old cards, much more than any modern deck, the images must be supplemented with books and commentary. So in addition to one or more reproductions, the essential book in English is Kaplan's Encyclopedia, vols. I and II.