To a number of tarot decks based on regional lore, I can add "El Tarot Murciano". I have earlier
reviewed a couple of such decks, like "Tarot de Bordeaux" and "I Tarocchi di Palio di Siena".
This time my review suffers from a lack of knowledge of the Spanish language, which makes the
accompanying booklet quite unintelligible to me.
The deck comes with a booklet in a large cardboard envelope, where the two parts are packed in
continuation of each other; not exactly a practical packaging, which doesn't fit into anything:
drawers, bookshelves etc. The 22 cards, illustrated by Ignacio Garcia, are large and colorful
renditions of what appears to be watercolor originals. The cards are also illustrated in the booklet,
slightly oversized, but in black and white. Some of the figures are named, like the Emperor being
King Alphonso X, and The Hierophant/Pope being Cardinal Belluga; other cards
show figures, scenes or places from the history of Murcia.
Each card has
astrological signs (more than one each), kabbalistic references plus other marks, of which
some look like sigils of a sort, others could be
letters of an Arabic language. The Fool is unnumbered but placed between XX and XXII. There is no
card numbered XXI. The accompanying booklet is very well printed, and the text by Santiago Delgado
has card for card explanations of the card's affinities to the Murcia area. The deck's connection with
the traditional tarot is shown in a table. All in all, the pack is quite agreeable and not a bad
thing for a collector.
To a number of tarot decks based on regional lore, I can add "El Tarot Murciano". I have earlier
reviewed a couple of such decks, like "Tarot de Bordeaux" and "I Tarocchi di Palio di Siena".
This time my review suffers from a lack of knowledge of the Spanish language, which makes the
accompanying booklet quite unintelligible to me.
The deck comes with a booklet in a large cardboard envelope, where the two parts are packed in
continuation of each other; not exactly a practical packaging, which doesn't fit into anything:
drawers, bookshelves etc. The 22 cards, illustrated by Ignacio Garcia, are large and colorful
renditions of what appears to be watercolor originals. The cards are also illustrated in the booklet,
slightly oversized, but in black and white. Some of the figures are named, like the Emperor being
King Alphonso X, and The Hierophant/Pope being Cardinal Belluga; other cards
show figures, scenes or places from the history of Murcia.
Each card has
astrological signs (more than one each), kabbalistic references plus other marks, of which
some look like sigils of a sort, others could be
letters of an Arabic language. The Fool is unnumbered but placed between XX and XXII. There is no
card numbered XXI. The accompanying booklet is very well printed, and the text by Santiago Delgado
has card for card explanations of the card's affinities to the Murcia area. The deck's connection with
the traditional tarot is shown in a table. All in all, the pack is quite agreeable and not a bad
thing for a collector.