Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg Deck Review

Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg Review by Michele Jackson: If you would like to purchase this deck/book set, click here.; This deck is done in Russian miniature painting. The deck was drawn to size using a magnifying glass and sometimes a brush with only one hair. The art is very detailed for work done in this manner, however you need a magnifying glass to appreciate it. The scenes are on an oval black background and have deep, fairly intense colors and very fine detail work. The oval is surrounded by gold filigree work of vines and flowers. The card borders are gold as well.; The deck is standard in the Majors and Court Cards with King, Queen, Knight and Page. The suits are also standard with the exception of wands, which is called clubs in this deck. The scenes are based on the Waite-Smith scenes, only done with a Russian flavor as far as costume and setting. If you can read with the Waite-Smith you should be able to read this one right out of the box. There is a book written specifically for this deck advertised in the U.S. Games Systems catalog, but I haven't seen it yet and therefore won't comment. The booklet that comes with the deck is the standard U.S. Games fare, though some small attempt has been made to describe the art on the Majors. The Devil for example, is described as having the face of Stalin, though he looks more like a biker on steroids to me.; Overall a lovely deck, though I wish the art were not miniature, but I guess that's what makes it special. The detail really is quite amazing when you realize the artist drew it that size from the beginning.

See more images from the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg

If you would like to purchase this deck/book set, click here.