I read the review posted Nov 2003
for the Ancient Tarots of Lombardy. I believe the gentleman bought the later Lo Scarebeo edition with the beige backgrounds and bigger card format than the light yellow 1995. Both reviews don't note the misprint in the little white book for the first and last of the major archana--the first title should be I, the Magician with the posted description and the last description is for the 0 or the Fool/Madman (the tramp that is not numbered).
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I went back to my information and my my Neoclassical sets that I bought in 2002 and 2003, the 1980 Edition Solloene with the delicate light yellow backs and and the 2003 Il Menghello version.
For collection purposes, I like my Il Solloene version the best, the one printed in 1980 limited to 1500 copies. A color picture of Il Matto and Il Bagattelliere (1) are numbered plates 29 and 30 in Stuart Kaplan's Encyclopedia of the Tarot, Volume II. More information on the edition and the majors appear on page 334, 346 and 347.
The title on the box notes the deck is called Neoclassical Italian Tarot by Ferdinando Gumppenberg, cardmaker in the locale of the garden near the Scala Theatre circa 1810 in Milan.
The Spanish pips are details noted in Mark Filpas review on the Pasteboard Masquerade and Stuart Kaplan's notes, which mean the patterns of the pips are laid out and do not interlace.
The Ace of Cups has the cardmaker Fabbricatore Gumppenberg printed on the bottom and the Ace of Swords has the Tax stamp.
While Kaplan notes that this Gumppenberg edition has the tax stamp valid from 1807 to 1816, I found out some more recent information about Di Gumppenberg in one of the Soprafino card sets that I received this year.
Gumppenberg is said to have moved to Milan in 1809 and brought with him from Munich 'besides experience and technical innovaction, the new taste and fashion that the people in Austria and Germany had enjoyed since the second half of the 18th century."
That would make sense. In terms of style and such, Napoleon's marriage to Marie Louise of Austria innn 1811 did probably have some beautiful effects on Neoclassical style
http://www.histofig.com/history/empire/personnes/autriche_marie-louise_en.html
http://www.georgianindex.net/Napoleon/king_rome/kr_cradle.html
Anyway, I thought it was a gorgeous bit of history to add to those who enjoyed this style of historical designs. I can almost see Marie Louise in L'Imperatice,' then a young and delicate woman.
Although in reading more, it was sad for the young babe crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy 'king of Rome'. The design probably didn't survive after 1816-17, with the fall of Napoleon after Waterloo.
Mari Hoshizaki