I have the Renaissance deck by Brian Williams - I bought it many years ago and I admire Williams' scholarship (I bought the book just now but didn't read it yet, but I heard much good about it). I'm an art historian specialized on medieval and Renaissance art so the idea of the cities (Florence, Venice, Milano, Rome) resonates with me strongly, and I can identify deities and mythological figures easily. Williams' hand is very light and elegant, his colour scheme gentle and unobtrusive. His work is beautiful, and even if it's more of a neo-neo-classical style than Renaissance, that doesn't disturb me, because he is a contemporary artist and his art reflects the changes the Classical tradition underwent.
So all this is lovely and satisfying. You are waiting for the BUT? But. Huge but. The deck doesn't speak to me. At all. The faces are bland, the compositions and colours resemble each other, and so do the figures. It looks as though a bunch of beautiful, slender, wistfully looking young people said: now let's pose for the queen of wands, now for the wheel of fortune... for the king of coins, for chariot... A bit like a charade. I don't feel the power and energy of the cards. They are hinted at, they are there, yes, I know they are - maybe I lack the senses and sensibilities to see and feel them?
I can't really connect to it, and I can't read with it. I tried what I could. I trimmed off the borders and gilded the edges and made a nice bag for it and handled it again and again, but I still find the golden oval frames oppressive and monotonous. Maybe I'll be able to connect to it after reading the book. I so much wanted to love this deck, I admire his creator and understand, I think, what he wanted to do. But the result leaves me cold-ish.
Obviously, this is my personal experience. I don't regret that I bought this deck - it's unique and intelligent and gentle and very beautiful. It's a part of my collection and I would never let it go. But I haven't been able to hear its voice clearly. That may be wholly my mistake and shortcoming.
(I bought also the Light and Shadow tarot in whose production Williams was involved, and it speaks to me much more strongly - actually, the two complement each other well, and I will maybe try a reading combining the two - that's an idea.)