Morgan Library Showcases Visconti-Sforza Tarot Deck

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The Morgan Library is presenting“Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions,” an exhibition centered on one of the oldest known complete tarot decks, the Visconti-Sforza tarot deck. This set, adorned with gold and silver leaf and measuring 6.8 x 3.4 inches (172.7 x 86.4 mm), was likely created around 1450 by Bonifacio Bembo for a prominent Milanese family and served as a game for the aristocracy.

The exhibition is divided into two main sections:“Renaissance Symbols,” which explores the earliest surviving 15th-century tarot decks, and“Modern Visions,” which illustrates how these cards continue to inspire artists and practitioners in the 20th century.

The exhibition highlights the peculiar inclusion of the pentacles, or coins, suit within the tarot, with 14 of the 76 cards dedicated to money. This aspect becomes clearer when considering the deck's origins in Renaissance Italy, where tarot and capital co-evolved alongside the region's growing influence. While other suits like swords, cups, and wands have long histories in spiritual practices, the pentacles reflect the material logic of the era in which tarot emerged. Tarot is relatively new compared to other divination traditions, some of which are thousands of years old. Its endurance over 500 years, particularly during times of upheaval, is attributed to its“remixability,” allowing for the reinterpretation of card imagery to address contemporary concerns.

Source: Hyperallergic

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