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The Sforza Deck?

To: alt.tarot
From: Obsidian 
Subject: Re: The Sforza Deck?
Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 22:17:26 -0400

John R. Snead wrote:
> 
> I have run across mention of, and today saw pictures of a few cards in
> the early Italian Sforza deck.  It looked *very* nice, very rich and
> elaborate, not at all like the other early, rather crude (like the
> Marseilles deck) decks I've seen.  So, does anyone know where I could
> buy a reproduction of this deck?  Also, I've not seen images of any
> of the minor arcana.  Do the minors have images like the later decks,
> or simply X number of swords, cups, rods....
> 
> Also, when does this deck date from?  I believe I heard it was 15th
> century or so.
> 
> Thanks-
> 
> -John Snead jsnead@netcom.com

Greetings...
	The Visconti-Sforza deck dates from circa 1440. The minor arcana cards
are numbered images of those suites, ie. X swords, chalices, etc., not
graphical images as in many modern decks. The reproduction set can be
obtained from U.S. Games Systems 179 Ludlow St. Stamford Ct. 06902. The
same source also has the so-called Cary-Yale deck, another Visconti deck
from about the same time period in facsimile.

							OBSIDIAN

-- 
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