History of tarot unveiled: exploring its evolution from origins to present time

The first deck: Visconti-Sforza. Italy, 1400s.

Towards the late 1400s, the noble Visconti-Sforza family founded and established the duchy of Milan, a powerful realm that controlled a vast part of northern Italy and remained in power for over a century.

Between 1414 and 1425, the Visconti family commissioned the painter Bonifacio Bembo to create what we now consider the first tarot decks, which would later inspire well-known decks such as the Marseille Tarot or the Rider-Waite Tarot. It wasn’t just a single deck created for the Visconti court; some scholars count as many as 15 decks.

One of the main reasons for this commission was undoubtedly the self-celebration of the glory of a family that wished to imprint its image and convey an aura of power.

As we can see in the pictures above, these were exquisite paintings, with intricate details and golden embellishments. In some of the cards, one can recognize portraits of certain members of the Visconti family, such as the High Priestess, and in the suit of pentacles in the minor arcana, some scholars have identified the gold florin coined by the noble Italian family.

But what were these tarot cards used for? No, not for divination. The most reputable studies tell us that the decks were used as courtly games and not as tools for predicting the future or deciphering the intricate patterns of existence. They were part of the game called Trionfi, one of the most popular card games in Italy (and beyond).

Whether you’re interested in admiring the card’s beauty or acquiring the Visconti tarot deck, click here.

Or, if you’d like to learn more (or even explore the Visconti Castle), be sure to check out this article about an Italian tarot lover’s itinerary, which starts right there.

The Arrival of the Marseille Tarot: France, 1650.

The knowledge of Tarot cards likely reached France during the period of French domination by the duchy of Milan in the early fifteenth century.

The first Marseille Tarot decks were engraved wooden boards that were later colored. There is uncertainty regarding the exact dates, but it is believed that the first decks date back to around 1650, more than a century after the Visconti decks.

The decks consisted of 22 major arcana (21 plus the Fool, card number 0) and 56 minor arcana based on the suits of Italian decks (Pentacles, Wands, Swords, Cups). Among the Marseille decks, the most famous and well-known are those created by Convert, Noblet, and Dodal.

The reason why Marseille Tarot decks are more renowned worldwide compared to the Visconti decks is related to the fact that they played a significant role in spreading and using tarot cards beyond noble courts.

The Marseille decks mark an important moment in the history of tarot and usher in the popular dissemination of tarot cards. But were they used for divination? No, not yet. Even during the Marseille period, it is believed that their main use was for recreational purposes, without any esoteric intentions.

Whether you want to see the beauty of the cards or purchase the Marseille tarot deck, click here.

From entertainment to esoterism: Etteila Tarot. France, 1700s.

Let’s summarize briefly. Tarot cards originated in the Italian courts of the 1500s as a courtly game but also served as a celebration of the splendor of the families that commissioned them. Having a finely crafted deck of cards, made with precious materials, dedicated entirely to the family was undoubtedly a symbol of wealth and power.

The geopolitical conquests of the Duchy of Milan seem to have influenced the spread of these decks beyond the Alps, reaching France and generating active interest. And so, the game spread. However, for the most part, it remained a card game. Certainly mysterious and enigmatic, with highly symbolic images that seemed to convey more than just a playful message. And thus, we arrive at the 1700s, still in Europe, where something changes.

At the end of the eighteenth century, Etteila, a famous French esotericist, popularized the use of tarot cards within esotericism. This is a truly important moment in the history of Tarot because it inaugurates a divinatory tradition that is still present in various cultures.

Before him, another famous esotericist, Antoine Court De Gebelin, theorized the origin of tarot cards, placing it in ancient Egypt and referring to the Book of Thoth. According to him, each arcane represents the secrets contained within the wisdom of the sacred book. Of course, this theory lacked sufficient evidence or studies, but it was still an important reflection because it opened the door of esotericism to Tarot, seeing them as an important divinatory tool and inaugurating the discipline of cartomancy.

Etteila was the first to create a tarot deck explicitly for divinatory, esoteric, and ritualistic use, around 1788. Each card had a specific meaning and revealed a hidden truth. From that moment on, in esoteric or occult circles, everyone became interested in tarot cards, creating a true magical aura around that deck of cards that originated from the Italian courts.

Esoterism and religious dogma: Eliphas Lévi. 1800s.

Alphonse Louis Constant, known as Eliphas Lévi, was a famous French esotericist of the nineteenth century. He was a very important figure in the history of tarot, because he associated the 22 major arcana with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

According to his theories, the origin of the tarot was not Egypt (as some esotericists claimed) but Israel and the Kabbalistic doctrines. The major arcana were the key to understanding all ancient religious dogma.

He was not the only one to associate tarot with the Hebrew Kabbalah, a good part of nineteenth-century European esotericism did so in those years where the Hebrew Kabbalistic approach was studied and gave rise to the Hermetic Kabbalah, that did not have the original religious implications but retained the same esoteric aspect.

As Lévi became a guidance and mentor at the time for many people interested in esotericism, his focus on the Tarot pushed its spread.

At this point in history we are in the 1800’s and the diffusion of tarot and its use becomes so relevant that many decks were produced in Europe – especially in Italy, Germany and France.

Minor arcana are illustrated with figures: Raider-Waite Tarot deck. London, early 1900s.

Here we have one of the most famous decks in the world: the Rider-Waite Tarot.

For a long time, it was mistakenly considered by people as the first tarot deck, from which many creators drew inspiration for the creation of contemporary decks.

Arthur Edward Waite was an American esotericist who grew up in London. It is undoubtedly in Europe that he came into contact with the tarot decks circulating at the time and, above all, with the world of European esotericism, which was flourishing at that time. His contribution to the esoteric world is important and was, at the time, widely recognised even by the academic world.

The Raider Waite deck became important and widely diffused also because all the arcana  were illustrated with figures – not only the major ones. This has rendered the decipherment of every arcane decidedly more simple and therefore more accessible also to a less expert public.

His decision has, in some way, removed the minor arcana from the appearance of a game deck, raising each arcane to a higher level. Not only that, the diffusion of this deck (and the replicas that followed immediately) allowed a closeness with a world, that of the tarot, which until that moment belonged only to a few.

Esotericism and the Occult: Papus. In the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Gerard Encausse, known as Papus, was another important key figure in the history of tarot and its spread. He was a French physician and esotericist born in 1865. He was active as both a physician and an esotericist in writing books and journal articles. He founded some magazines specialized in esotericism and contributed to the spread of esoteric theories in the nineteenth-century in Europe.

Like many of the leading esotericists of the time, he was also interested and involved in the study of tarot. He was also part of the Golden Dawn, a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics.

His book “Clef absolue de la Science occulte. Le Tarot des Bohémièns (Paris 1889)” became very famous and it was there that he spread his personal interpretation of the arcana of the tarot, taking his cue from the Kabbalistic theories spread 30 years earlier by Eliphas Levi.

Papus’ interpretation was based on the division of three existential levels: the intellectual, the material and the spiritual.

Papus also designed a tarot deck that was published and circulated in the early 1900s, along with a book dedicated to cartomancy: “Le Tarot divinatoire (Paris 1909)”. It is an important work because it introduces the teaching of divinatory and cartomancy practice.

Tarot as a guiding tool: Oswald Wirth. 1900s.

Oswald Wirth is another very important figure in the history of tarot at the turn of the century. He was a Swiss esotericist and intellectual who wrote many books and was involved in the interpretation and diffusion of tarot knowledge. Like many of the esoteric thinkers of the time, he was interested in the secret societies and was an active member of them.

His study of the tarot is very important because he tried to faithfully re-create the deck on the basis of the Tarot de Marseille trying to maintain the important symbols. His book (1924) and his tarot deck are considered to be among the most complete studies on the subject and faithful to the tradition.

The importance of these studies concerns tarot complexity and their essence. Oswald W. – despite his background as an esotericist – began to see the tarot through a more psychological and meditative perspective, leaving behind the mere divinatory aspect, leading the way to Jung’s theories, and to the contemporary way of using the tarot.

According to him, tarot was not created and used only as a gaming or divinatory tool, but as a guide. A sort of philosophical receptacle of images where to look for the meanings and the sense of existence. The major arcana represent, therefore, a sort of journey from inexperience to wisdom, a path that leads to a complete awareness.

This study and this vision have been a very important step in the history of tarot, and it has also elevated their meaning, taking it from a purely “divinatory” level to a more philosophical one.

For those intrigued by tarot’s history or seeking to integrate it into their daily lives, reading Oswald Wirth’s writings is truly essential.

Exploring Tarot for Personal and Spiritual Growth: Aleister Crowley. 1942.

Another important author of the history of tarot is surely Aleister Crowley, British writer and esotericist. His figure has always been controversial, there are those who claim he practiced rituals promoting what at the time was called black magic.

Many of his writings, however, promoted a kind of ceremonial magic, where practices such as self-knowledge and meditation, were considered possibilities to change themselves and others, according to the will to improve ourselves.

Like A. E. Waite, he joined the Golden Dawn and developed his interest in tarot. In 1942 his tarot deck was ready – but was not officially printed until 30 years later – and it was illustrated by the painter Frida Harris. The deck was a personal version of the Golden Dawn’s Liber T theories.

Through his travels, research, and also his passion for ritual magic A. Crowley spent part of his life searching for the truth among the various religions and spiritual cults but also in science and anthropology: all knowledge that he conceived also in his tarot deck.

He certainly deserves the credit for having conceived the tarot not only as a divinatory tool but also as a tool for the search of personal and spiritual improvement. Tarots for him were not only a tool for divination.

At this point we start to see a certain openness to an ability to improve one’s existence in an active way and not a mere passive testimony of a predetermined life written in fate.

Click here to explore Aleister Crowley’s tarot deck.

Tarot as a psychological tool: C. G. Jung and A. Jodorowsky

Carl Gustav Jung – psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and philosopher of the early 900 – holds immense significance in the history of tarot. This is the reason we dedicated an entire article to his interpretation of tarot.

A sneak peek: according to this brilliant thinker, tarot cards serve not only as a means to comprehend the future but also to grasp the present.

For further insights, check out Jung’s psychological perspective on Tarot – Exploring the Connection between cards and archetypes.

For the same reason we dedicated a complete article also to Alejandro Jodorowsky. Many of us knew Jodorowsky for his movies, his theater or his beautiful novels, but few knew his passion for tarot and anthropology.

A sneak peek: if Jung is considered the first person to see the tarot as a psychological tool, Alejandro Jodorowsky is certainly the one who gave relevance and solidity to this perspective.

To delve deeper into these insights, you can consult this dedicated article: Alejandro Jodorowsky: a pioneer in the contemporary use of Tarot.

Tarot in the contemporary

As we have seen, the tarot has come a long way before coming to us. They have been court games, they have become part of the esoteric and magical heritage, even building a space of choice in European pagan cultures. Then they landed in psychology and philosophy and became a tool for the knowledge of the human being.

The world of art has approached the tarot, just think of the famous arcana of Salvador Dalí, but also the world of fashion. Dior realized a collection entirely inspired by and dedicated to tarot cards.

More and more creators, artists, designers, poets have created decks, adding their personal art and interpretation. There are more and more apps and web apps dedicated to tarot reading, where you can get a reading from professionals, anytime, every day. Tarot cards are now also in the digital world of meta verse and NFTs.

Tarot has also become a political and ideological tool, like a canvas in the hands of artists working on inclusion and human, animal and planet earth rights.

It seems that the time has come when tarot can be part of people’s daily lives, as an ally for practicing self care. And, it can even serve as inspiration for travel, with so many destinations for tarot lovers around the globe.