This is a moving tribute to the history of witches, created by
Morena Poltronieri,
(director of the Italian International Tarot Museum), and curated mainly from well-known international artworks. In most cases, the artist and
year of the original work were included in the leaflet. When such details were unavailable, the
era of the artwork was included for reference. Some of these cards have positive,
powerful images of witches, their craft and healing powers; while others are reflective of the devastating
and tragic history of innocent women,
herbalists and healers.
Some of these card images were enhanced by hand by Ms. Poltronieri, with colored pencils or watercolors and may also include imagery from the popular 17th century Italian deck, Tarocchi Fine Dalla Torre, of Bologna. It's also worth mentioning that Morena and Ernesto (who co-created the Tarot Museum) have been conducting walking tours, based on the history of witches in Bologna, for several years, while sharing the long, torrid history and well-documented persecution of witches there since medieval times.
The title card, as well as the card backs and box cover all share the same haunting image of the legendary Medusa from a painting by Arnold Bocklin, (1878). The backs of the cards are therefore not reversible (see image shared below).
As with most decks from Italy, the Justice card is numbered VIII and the Strength card: XI. The cards (sized: 4" W x 6" L - 10 x 15 cm), have Roman numerals and are titled in Italian but should be recognizable to seasoned Tarotists. Half of the cards (my personal favorites) are showcased below, along with their English and Italian titles for reference. The deck is printed on textured, matte art stock, distinctive of these Museo dei Tarocchi special editions, and adds to their tactile ascetic.
Here are three examples from the leaflet with the corresponding cards displayed below:
III Empress (Imperatrice)
Statue of Uta di Ballenstedt, Naumberg Cathedral, Saxony (Germany)
Uta (1000-1046) Margravine of Meissen, escaped being burned at the stake after facing a trial for witchcraft.
This statue possibly inspired the image of the Evil Queen in Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
VI Lovers (Amanti)
Unidentified Lower Rhenish Master, Germany: The Love Spell, 1470-1480
Witches were experts in love rituals (binding spells). The 'baptism of the lodestone' was one of the most widespread practices. A magnet was 'baptized' with the name of the beloved who would return by magnetism.
XIV Temperance (Temperanza)
Frederick Sandys, Medea, 1866-1868 (England)
Medea is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and granddaughter of the sun God Helios. Medea figures prominently in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress and is often depicted as a priestess of the Goddess Hecate.
Tarot of Witches comes in an attractive gift box with the cards tied in ribbon, while being protected by a padded backing. It is limited to only 100 sets, hand-signed and numbered by Morena Poltronieri.
