Genoese Tarot Playing Cards by Elettra Deganello

Designed by Elettra Deganello, the Genoese Tarot is a deck of playing cards crafted for card games that were still played in several European countries. The card design combines the elegance of the traditional Genoese 40-card deck with the iconic vivid imagery of the French Marseilles tarot. This deck will have a total of 88 cards: 56 suit cards, 21 trumps, 1 fool, 2 jokers, and 8 extra cards. Everything will be fully customized with Elettra’s artwork.

The court cards feature beautifully drawn two-way courts, complete with iconographies and visuals based on historical references. Each court will have an index as well as the name of the card in Italian. For this tarot deck, the courts include an extra figure: the Cavalier (or knight), a character figure with a horse, is added to all four suits and ranks between the Jack and the Queen.

The Number and Aces are based on traditional French playing cards with a clean minimalistic design. Two of the cards have a special design. The Seven of Diamonds has a subtle ornament on the center pip which referenced the card that plays a special role in a trick-taking card game.

The Ace of Hearts features a linework art of a historical allegory of Genoa, a griffin prevailing over an eagle and a fox. The Jokers feature an illustration of Janus, the two-faced Roman god as well as the ancient symbol of Genoa.

The Trump cards are the main distinguishing feature of the tarot deck. Both Fool and the rest of the Trumps feature beautifully detailed two-way artworks that have subtle differences between the two sides. You can see how these illustrations resembled the iconic Marseilles Tarot. These cards will have a big number index along with their Italian name.

The extra cards in the deck are 6 game cards, an extra third Joker, and an extra trump card. These game cards are “cheat sheets” to help you remember the rules of some of your favorite card games. The third Joker is used as an acknowledgment card. The extra Trump card is called “butterfinger”, described as a wild card in case the deck is missing a Trump card.

The back design is inspired by the traditional Genoese laggioin, the colorful ornamental glazed tiles that decorate the staircases and interiors of many local palaces – these are inspired by traditional Iberian and Islamic art.

It is a symmetrical geometric pattern with flowers and diamonds. The color of the back is green with hints of gold and white. The gold color on both faces and back will be printed with metallic ink. The cards will be produced by Cartamundi on a superluxe board with standard varnish.

There are two editions of the deck: Standard and Deluxe. The Standard Edition will have cards tucked inside a classic box that mirrors the card back design. The Deluxe Edition will have cards gilded with gold foil and tucked inside a specially-produced tuck box with a detailed illustration of 15th century Genoa cityscape done in bronze and gold hot foil. Both tucks will be produced by Boschiero & Newton.

Pledge starts at $22 for a single Standard Genoese Tarot on Kickstarter. Don’t miss out!