Alchemical Tarot
From Tarotpedia
This article is about the Alchemical Tarot deck by Robert M. Place. For other decks titled "Alchemical Tarot" see Alchemical Tarot (disambiguation page)
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[edit] Description
The Alchemical Tarot is a 78-card deck designed by Robert Place. The art features the clean lines, rich detail and rigorous study that distinguish the work of this artist. The art is based on images from late Medieval and Renaissance alchemical texts. The trumps trace the stages of the Alchemical Great Work leading to the Philosopher's Stone (World). The Star card, a striking image in Pace's interpretation, drew its inspiration from the same Renaissance woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid that formed the basis of the Starbucks logo. Many of the illustrations are reproduced and disucssed in the scholarly writing of Carl Gustav Jung, who connects the great Work with the process of individuation. (Jung's work on alchemy and archetypes is described by Pace in his discussions of the deck.) The minors are illustrated and develop the symbolism laid oout in the trumps. The suits, Swords, Vessels, Staffs and Coins, correspond to the classical elements of air, water, fire and earth and Jung's psychological functions of reason, emotion, intuition and sensation. The face cards are Lady, Knight, Queen and King. The first three are presented as human figures; Kings take the form of animals that represent in grand form a more humble creature that appears in the Aces. The images have the delicacy of etchings and the brilliant, subtle coloring of tinted engravings. The original edition featured illustrations framed between white classical columns in a white border. The card back featured a non-invertible image of the alchemcal rose. A magnificent and highly acclaimed deck.
The boxed set published in 1995 by HarperCollins included a companion book by Place and Mary Ellen Guiley. Place's discussion supplied detailed information about the history, practice and pictorial symbolism of alchemy.
The deck went out of print after 2002 and soon became a collector's item. A mint condition boxed set of The Alchemical Tarot sold at auction for hundreds of US dollars. In 2007 Place, responding to demand by collectors, released The Alchemical Tarot Art Edition. The deck features improved and restored artwork. This edition includes two versions of the Lovers card and enlarges the art, removing the white border with columns that appeared in the first edition. The cards, printed on rag paper, come in a wooden box. The reworked design of the card back still features the rose design and remains non-invertible. Each deck is signed and numbered.[1]
A new mass-market edition, The Alchemical Tarot: Renewed, was released in 2008 by Hermes Publications. The images, including card backs, correspond to the Art Edition, with borderless images and two versions of the Lovers card supplied. The cards are printed on standard card stock and die-cut. ISBN-10: 9780977643 and ISBN-13: 978-9780977641
[edit] Creators
Robert M. Place (artist, designer, & co-author) and Rosemary Ellen Guiley (co-author)
[edit] Publishing details
[edit] Date of Publication
1995 / 2007, 2008
[edit] Publisher
Thorsons Publishers (HarperCollins) / Hermes Publications
[edit] Deck creation and/or publication process
- 1995 The Alchemical Tarot, original mass market edition, HarperCollins
- 2007 The Alchemical Tarot Art Edition, limited collectors' edition, Hermes Publications
- 2008 The Alchemical Tarot: Renewed, mass market edition, Hermes Publications
[edit] Creators' comments
The Alchemical Tarot: An Interview with deck creator Robert Place, by Dan Pelletier
[edit] Creators' websites
[edit] Reviews
- Review by Lynn on Aeclectic Tarot
- Review by James Ricklef [2]
- Review on Learntarot.com
- Review by Mark Philipas
- Review by Michele Jackson on Tarot Passages
- Review by Lee A. Bursten on Tarot Passages
