Meet the ancestor of all tarot decks: the Visconti-Sforza deck. Created in 15th-century Italy, this deck wasn’t made for divination - it was a luxurious card game for wealthy nobles. Think gilded edges, hand-painted figures, and a level of detail that would make modern artists weep with envy.
The Visconti-Sforza deck shows that tarot started as a game, not a mystical oracle. Its suits and trumps tell stories, but they were about entertainment, status, and artistry - not predicting your love life or career. Some cards look straightforward, others…well, they can be downright bizarre to modern eyes: knights in full armour doing mysterious gestures, allegorical figures whose meaning is lost to time. Sadly, six of the cards are also lost to time, although many artists have attempted to recreate them in the same style.
Looking at these early decks reminds us that tarot has always been about imagination and interpretation. Even then, people were telling stories with cards - they just hadn’t yet added the crystals, candles, or daily card pulls.
If you could hold one of the oldest decks in your hands, which card would you be most curious to study? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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