A deck in 78 cards created in Besançon, France, in 1700. Particularity: the replacement of Pope and High Priestess with Jupiter and Juno, in line with the reformist principles. 1.500 numbered exemplaries.
A Stunning reproduction from famed publishers Il Meneghello.
Besancon is the name given to a Marseilles style Tarot where the Popessa and Pope were replaced with Juno and Jupiter. The switch was required to appease religious sensibilities of the times. This change likely ended up working for both Catholics who found it sacrilegious to have the revered figures in a deck of cards and Protestants who objected to the concept of papal authority. Although the deck has French titles and is now named after the French town laying on the border of Switzerland, this type of deck would have been popular with German-speaking card players in eastern France, Switzerland and parts of Germany.
This unique deck fills an important spot in any Tarot collection. Il Meneghello makes a faithful reproduction and leaves all of the quirks and foibles of it's early printing faithfully intact. This allows us to experience the deck as it would have been experienced in it's time without "Photoshop perfection". This deck is from Il Meneghello's III Edition of 2,000 decks. The edition number will be revealed when opening the sealed package.
