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| Promo image from publisher |
I used this deck for the first time in May 2021, but for some reason I forgot to write a review back then, so I am doing it now. This deck comes in a boxed kit with the deck and a companion book. This deck is an update or upgrade of Ciro Marchetti's first Gilded Tarot deck, which I have used and reviewed (link to my review of that deck).
The companion book, written by Barbara Moore, is arranged as follows:
- Introduction. Describes briefly the book's contents.
- Artist's Notes. Marchetti discusses his art work, themes in his work, and how he developed the deck.
- The Basics. This is the common feature in deck companion books explaining what Tarot is, a deck's structure, and how to do a reading. It also provides some basic exercises to help readers with getting to know the deck.
- The Major Arcana.
- The Minor Arcana.
- The Court Cards.
- The Spreads. This includes five card spreads to try out.
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| The Fool-0 |
The book overall is basic and accessible. Entries for all cards feature a black and white image of a card and about a page of text. The text combines a description of the card, its symbols, and card meaning. The language is simple and easy to ready. You do not get much heavy esoterica, which makes this a good book for beginners. I found the book enjoyable to read. The meanings are straightforward, and they are keyed to the cards' art. In addition, the book includes exercises you can use as Tarot journal prompts. It is a good basic guide. On a side note, the publication information in the book indicates this book was previously published in 2004 as Gilded Tarot Companion, so it looks like they updated the previous book, adding new card images. I cannot comment on differences between editions as my Gilded Tarot kit has the Ellershaw book (see link above).
The cards are excellent. Fans of Ciro Marchetti's work blending fantasy and steampunk will likely enjoy this deck. Cards are colorful and lively. The colors are very bright. The art is expressive, and it works well to stimulate intuition. The deck's art is well within Rider Waite Smith (RWS) system, so this is a good deck for those who read within RWS. The deck is very good for beginners, but advanced readers can enjoy it as well.
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| The Star-XVII |
and livelier. The figures look more lifelike. Some of the images from the first deck remain but overall the images are improved and updated. Additionally, the cards are borderless, a detail many Tarotistas will appreciate. The cards measure about 4 1/2 inches by 2 3/4 inches with rounded edges. The cards have a very light gloss finish. The card stock is think, feels flexible, which may be good for folks who riffle shuffle their decks.
Overall, this is a beautiful and very colorful deck that Tarot readers at any level may enjoy. This is the mass market edition of this deck, and for most folks, it is an accessible and affordable kit. It falls within RWS, and it is one I would gladly recommend for beginners. The companion guidebook is good, but it may be too basic for advanced users. For advanced folks, the publisher now sells the deck individually in both the regular size and a "mini" edition if they wish to skip the book. I'd say this kit can make a good gift for someone's first deck. The original Gilded Tarot is great, but for a gift at this point in time I'd choose the Gilded Tarot Royale. This deck is definitely an improvement over the previous one, and I am glad to have it in my collection.
5 out of 5 stars, mainly for the cards.
Kit qualifies for the following 2021 Reading Challenges:
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