The Reimagining of the Tarot (Part II)

Rosenwald Tarot, Italy, Florence, ca. 1500,
woodcut on laid paper, unidentified artist

Previous: The Renaissance Origins of the Tarot (Part I)

Over the centuries, what began as an elegant Italian card game gradually became intertwined with mysticism, esotericism, fortune-telling, and the occult, inspiring generations of artists, writers, and filmmakers. Among the later works that particularly caught my attention were those associated with Austin Osman Spare and Aleister Crowley. Despite my personal antipathy toward these particular figures, for reasons beyond a difference of faith, their influence helped shape the tarot’s modern esoteric tradition.

The exhibition traces this transformation through paintings, prints, and popular culture, illustrating how a Renaissance creation evolved into one of the most recognizable symbolic systems of the modern world.

Although I remain most interested in the Renaissance origins of tarot and the reflections found in Meditations on the Tarot, it was fascinating to see how later generations continually reinvented its imagery.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli

Rosenwald Tarot, Italy, Florence, ca. 1500,
woodcut on laid paper, unidentified artist

(L-R) Death, The Hanged Man, and The Fool, Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (Deck "C"), London: William Rider & Son, ca, 1921-31, Pamela Colman Smith (1878-1951) and Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942)

(L-R) The Devil, The Lovers, and The World, Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (Deck "C"), London: William Rider & Son, ca, 1921-31, Pamela Colman Smith (1878-1951) and Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942)

Two Dogs Howling at the Moon, 1961, graphite, gouache,
and watercolor on paper, Leonora Carrington (1917-2011)

Surrealist Racing Forecast Cards, 1936, privately published
by Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956)

Tarot Deck, ca. 1906, ink and watercolor on paper and Obeah Cards, ca. 1930, ink and crayon on cardstock, Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956)

Tarot Deck, ca. 1906, ink and watercolor on paper,
Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956)

Tarot Deck, ca. 1906, ink and watercolor on paper,
Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956)

(L-R) Palimpsest (Self-Portrait), n.d., pencil and watercolor on board, Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956); Map of the Human Animal, 1962, watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper, Leonora Carrington (1917-2011); and The Other Clock (El otro relo), 1957, gouache and ink on cardboard, Remedios Varo (1908-1963) 

(L-R) Sketch for "The Magus," n.d., graphite on paper, and sketch for "Adjustment," n.d., ink and graphite on paper, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) and Lady Frieda Harris (1877-1962)

(L-R) Death, The Magus, and Knight of Wands. Drawings for the Thoth Tarot, 1938-43, watercolor on paper with hand-painted mats, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) and Lady Frieda Harris (1877-1962)

(L-R) The Moon, Three of Disks, and The Chariot. Drawings for the Thoth Tarot, 1938-43, watercolor on paper with hand-painted mats, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) and Lady Frieda Harris (1877-1962)

Thoth Tarot Card Deck / Ordo Templi Orientis, White Box "B," St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, (1973(?)], Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) and Lady Frieda Harris (1877-1962)

(L-R) The Lovers, The Magician, The World, Tarot Universal Dalí,
Spain: Naipes Comas, 1984, Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

Devil and Fool, 1948 Oil on canvas, Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962)

The Book of Thoth, London: Urdo lempli Orientis/Chiswick Press,
1944, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947)

Translated by Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942), The History of Magic, London: Rider & Co, Paternoster House, E.C., mid-twentieth century], Eliphas Lévi (Alphonse Louis Constant, 1810-1875)

(L-R) Untitled, n.d., watercolor and ink on paper; Sketch for Glass, 1908, watercolor and ink on paper; Time, n.d., watercolor and graphite on paperboard, Pamela Colman Smith (1878-1951)

(L-R) Untitled, 1955, ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper, Cameron (Marjorie Cameron, 1922-1995); Wheel of Fortune, n.d., gouache on paper, Juanita Guccione (1904-1999); and The Pulp Tarot, New York, The Unemployed Philosophers Guild, 2021, Todd Alcott

The Renaissance Origins of the Tarot (Part I)

Thoth Recording the Judgment of a Deceased Man's Soul,
Book of the Dead, papyrus, unidentified artist

Next: The Reimagining of the Tarot (Part II)

I recently visited the Morgan Library & Museum to see Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions (June 26 through October 4, 2026), an exhibition exploring the remarkable journey of the tarot from the princely courts of Renaissance Italy to its enduring place in modern art and popular culture. For someone who has long been fascinated by the imagery of tarot cards and has collected tarot decks over the years, it was an exhibition I could not miss.

The show begins in fifteenth-century northern Italy, where beautifully illuminated tarot decks were first created as luxury playing cards for noble families rather than as instruments of fortune-telling. Many scholars believe the imagery of these early decks drew inspiration from Francesco Petrarca's allegorical poem Triumphs, whose procession of symbolic figures was enormously influential during the Renaissance. Seeing the celebrated Visconti-Sforza Tarot cards reunited was a rare opportunity to appreciate them not as occult curiosities but as masterpieces of Renaissance craftsmanship, rich with Christian, classical, and courtly symbolism.

I first encountered tarot through popular culture rather than history. In my younger years, I dated several women who regularly read the cards, and I found the symbolism endlessly intriguing. The archetypal figures, mysterious imagery, and artistic traditions surrounding these decks possessed an undeniable imaginative appeal.

As a Catholic, however, my interest remains primarily artistic, historical, and symbolic. My understanding of tarot was later influenced by the writings of Valentin Tomberg, whose much-debated Meditations on the Tarot approaches the Major Arcana not as instruments of fortune-telling but as contemplative meditations upon Christian spirituality and the inner life. Tomberg’s work offers a perspective very different from the fortune-telling commonly associated with tarot today.

Whatever its later associations, I left the exhibition with a renewed appreciation for the artistic genius and cultural imagination that first gave tarot its enduring form.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli

(L-R) Death and The Hanged Man, Visconti-Sforza Tarot, Italy, Lombardy, ca. 1456-58, tempera, gold and silver leaf on pasteboard, Bonifacio Bembo (1420-1480); Death, Visconti di Modrone Tarot, Italy, Lombardy, ca. 1441-42, tempera and gold leaf on pasteboard, Andrea Bembo (act. 1431-1469)

Personification of Death and Christ Raising Lazarus "Farnese Hours,"
in Latin Italy, Rome, 1546, Giulio Clovio (1498-1578)

Palm-reading diagrams, The Art of Chiromancy (Die Kunst Chiromantia),
Augsburg: Jörg Schapf, ca. 1475, unidentified artist

(L-R) Queen of Swords, Fortitude, and Female Knight of Swords, Visconti di Modrone Tarot, Italy, Lombardy, ca. 1441-42, tempera and gold leaf on pasteboard, Andrea Bembo (act. 1431-1469)

A King and Queen Playing Chess, Dirc van Delf, Table of Christian Faith (Tafel van den Kersten ghelave) in Dutch, Netherlands, perhaps Utrecht, ca. 1405-10, unidentified artist

St. Catherine of Alexandria, prayer book, in Latin, Italy,
Milan, ca. 1410-20, Michelino da Besozzo (act. 1388-1450)

(L-R) The King of Swords, Visconti-Sforza Tarot, Italy, Lombardy, ca. 1456-58, tempera, gold and silver leaf on pasteboard, Bonifacio Bembo (1420-1480); King of Swords, Visconti di Modrone Tarot, Italy, Lombardy, ca. 1441-42, tempera and gold leaf on pasteboard, Andrea Bembo (act. 1431-1469); Page of Swords, Visconti-Sforza Tarot, Italy, Lombardy, ca. 1456-58, tempera, gold and silver leaf on pasteboard, Bonifacio Bembo (1420-1480)

The Planet Jupiter in Domicile and Detriment, Abū Maʿshar, Introduction to Astrology (Liber astrologiae), in Latin, Flanders, Bruges, ca. 1403, unidentified artist

Emperor Tiberius, Suetonius, Lives of the Emperors, in Latin,
Italy, Milan, 1433, Master of the Vitae Imperatorum

(L-R) Tarot de Marseille, Avignon: Jean-Pierre Payen, ca. 1760(?), unidentified artist; Madonna of Humility, Italy, Lombardy, ca. 1430, tempera, oil, and gold leaf on panel, attributed to Stefano da Verona (ca. 1374-after 1438); and Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck, London: William Rider & Son, ca. 1921-92, Pamela Colman Smith (2878-1951)

The Chess Players, Italy, Siena, ca. 1475, tempera on panel,
Liberale da Verona (ca. 1445-1529)

(L-R) Page of Cups, Visconti di Modrone Tarot, Italy, Lombardy, ca. 1441-42, tempera and gold leaf on pasteboard, Andrea Bembo (act. 1431-1469); Queen of Horns, unidentified artist, Cloisters Playing Cards, Southern Netherlands, ca. 1475-80, pen and ink, opaque paint, glazes, and applied silver and gold on paper; The Sun, attributed to Franco dei Russi (act. 1453-1482), Visconti-Sforza Tarot (replacement cards) Italy, Ferrara(?), ca. 1465-70, tempera and gold leaf on pasteboard

Devil, Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy (Divina commedia),
in Italian, Italy, Florence, ca. 1345-55, unidentified artist

Zodiac diagram, Johannes de Sacrobosco, On the Sphere of the World (De sphaera), in German, Austria, ca. 1425, unidentified artist

(L-R) Astrology (Astrologia), Music (Musicha), Saturn (Saturno),"Mantegna Tarot," Northern Italy, Ferrara or Venice, ca. 1462-67 - Engravings, Master of the E-Series Tarocchi (Lazzaro Bastiani[?])

A Palm Reader, Bartolomeo "Cocles" della Rocca, Complexion: How to Learn the Nature and Character of Each Person... (Complexion: Natür und Eigenschafft eines yeden Menschen zü erfaren...) Mainz: Peter Jordan, 1534, unidentified artist

Three water-birds and a falcon, from a model book, Italy, ca. 1425-50, pen and brown ink and wash, over black chalk, on paper, Workshop of Pisanello (ca. 1395-1455)

(L-R) Triumph of Love, from the Triumphs of Petrarch series, Italy, Florence, ca. 1480-1500, engraving, Francesco Rosselli (1448-before 1513); Wheel of Fortune (Rota della fortuna), Italy, Naples (?), ca. 1510, Luca Gaurico (ca. 1475-1558); and Game box, France or Netherlands, fifteenth-sixteenth century, bone, gilding, and paint over a wooden core, unidentified artist

Game box, France or Netherlands, fifteenth-sixteenth century, bone, gilding, and paint over a wooden core, unidentified artist

Coffer, Italy, Siena(?), early fifteenth century, poplar
with gilded and painted gesso and pastiglia decoration

Spettacolo teatrale “Voci, suoni e canti di briganti in Terra di Lavoro”

A Gift from Orkney

My friend and his wife recently returned from a vacation in Scotland and, knowing my longstanding interest in Italian history and culture, surprised me with a small booklet telling the remarkable story of the Italian Chapel. They also shared the beautiful photographs they had taken during their visit, bringing to life a most extraordinary place of worship.

Built during the Second World War by Italian POWs stationed on the Orkney Islands, the chapel stands as a testament to faith, resilience, and the enduring power of beauty in the midst of hardship. Fashioned from humble materials, including two joined Nissen huts, its richly painted interior gives the impression of carved stone, marble, and mosaic. At its heart was the vision and artistry of Domenico Chiocchetti, whose devotion transformed a simple military hut into a sacred sanctuary that continues to inspire visitors from around the world.

Before creating the chapel, Chiocchetti fashioned a striking statue of Saint George from scrap barbed wire and cement salvaged around the camp. More than a work of art, it became a symbol of hope for the prisoners and their longing for peace. Hidden within its plinth, the prisoners placed a milk bottle containing the names of the men of Camp 60, along with a few Italian coins and banknotes, leaving behind a quiet testament to their shared ordeal. The success of the statue helped convince the camp commandant, together with the camp priest, to allow the prisoners to build the Italian Chapel itself.

Surrounded by the touching traditions that have grown up around it, one enduring legend centers on Giuseppe Palumbi, a gifted blacksmith from Abruzzo who fashioned the chapel’s elegant wrought-iron screen. According to local tradition, he fell in love with a young Orcadian woman during his time on the islands, despite having a wife and family waiting for him in Italy. When the war ended and he returned home, he is said to have left behind a small wrought-iron heart embedded in the chapel floor as a silent token of his unfulfilled love. Whether fact or folklore, the story lends another layer of poignancy to a place already rich in sacrifice, longing, faith, and hope.

The story of the Italian Chapel is more than a chapter in wartime history. It is a reminder that even in captivity, the human spirit can create something lasting and beautiful. I am grateful to my friends for thinking of me and for introducing me to this remarkable little sanctuary through the booklet, the photographs they brought home, and the stories they shared from their visit.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, July 6th, Feast of Santa Domenica di Tropea