Sola Busca Tarot: Museum Quality Kit

This is a gorgeous deck and the art is beautiful. The card stock is typical Lo Scarabeo (super glossy) which I wish it wasn't but it's not a deal breaker. The box is super duper! This deck is not very good for divination (IMHO) as the cards or the images really do not follow any of the more popular or current systems for reading (RWS, Thoth, Marseille) . It will also be difficult even if you read intuitively because most of the images have nothing to do with the actual meaning for the card. The major Arcana figures are all of past Roman leaders from b.c.e. and there is a fair amount of disturbing imagery (ie. Nero is roasting a child on an open flame, and another of a severed head on a spear) There is a section in the book that offers definitions but only for the major Arcana and it's not that great. The minor Arcana definitions use the numerology method for the pips and a separate listing for the court cards and another section for the suit definitions, all of which are 3-5 single word definitions. Having said all this, the deck is a superb study of the earliest known, complete tarot deck (1591) and the included book does a good paragraph on each of the majors history and who the card most likely represents in Roman history and tries to explain some of the imagery on the card (but no interpretations). I would also recommend a book by Mark Adams called the Game of Saturn that goes even deeper in the just the Majors. The book is expensive ($70) but if you're into history, this is the best book for this deck although there are no divination instruction or interpretation offered.

First off, let me say that everything about this product screams quality. The box, the included book, the cards, all are made with a high degree of craftsmanship. The cards are printed on a thick, heavy stock that has a glossy laminate. They truly deserve the museum quality moniker. With that out of the way, why would one buy this? Admiration, sure. Historical examination, perhaps. Occult study, of course. Divination, probably not. Let me explain. The art on the cards have a certain beauty and charm to them. But because of the age they were made in, the symbology is very esoteric. The Triumph cards (Major Arcana) all depict named ancient Roman generals, emperors, and government officials. The included book does a good job in listing the probable depicted people and the possible meanings of the cards. They are nothing in meaning like the cards you may be used to. What the book glosses over though are the suit cards (Minor Arcana) which consist of cups, shields, staves, and swords. It is left for you to discover who is depicted on the court cards (most of which are named). The suits contain much more detail than decks like Visconti-Sforza (which are rather plain). What is particularly interesting is it's easy to see the influence this deck had on future tarot decks, especially the Rider-Waite. What the latter deck possesses though is a lot of symbolic imagery, that while they may be interpreted differently based on the individual, there is so much more to draw from than Sola Busca, at least for modern readers. So for these reasons, I recommend this set to collectors and especially to those who want to see the inspirations, and changes in meaning, to the more traditional tarot sets.

These cards are absolutely beautiful with beautiful coloring. They are very sturdy and thick which makes them difficult to shuffle, but they are definitely worth the money. The book just basically goes over the history of each character in the major arcana which makes you more or less draw from your intuition with this deck. Some of the images are a bit dark or some may find the depictions disturbing. I would not recommend to someone new to tarot using these cards until their knowledge and intuition is more developed. All in all its a stunning deck.

This is an astonishing occult Italian renaissance masterpiece, I do not understand the negative reviews these are extremely well made cards, and extremely detailed prints on the cards there are more to these than meet the eye as well the more you study these the more interesting they become I highly recommend reading The The Game of Saturn by Peter Mark Adams that explains the esoteric values of these cards and highlights the divination aspects

Lovely Tarot Cards. Beautiful Artwork. This does not follow the traditional Rider Waite Smith symbolism. If you know the cards very well- then they can be used for Tarot readings. These could be used by a seasoned Tarot reader.

This deck is really different. It's colorful and large with vintage style art. I like it a lot. The box it not great. The ribbon broke the first time I pulled the deck out. The outer box is nice and sturdy but it has a flip top and the cards don't actually fit in the insert so they fall out if the flip top cones open at all. Also, as much as I like the vintage art, I don't at all like the backs. With such beautiful images the backs are really jarring. They look like old, pilled 80s carpet. There must be something I'm missing, some meaning or reason behind the backs. Also, the book is very thick because it has multiple languages which is fine but the descriptions of the cards are very short and there are no images of the cards to go with the meanings and I'm having some trouble determining which cards are which.

I wanted a museum quality set, and this is it. I have three, high-quality reproductions of this deck and one low quality reproduction. If you can only buy ONE, I would go with Scarlet Imprint since the booklet with this deck is a joke. This deck has NOTHING to do with Christianity or any of that Golden Dawn, Rider-Waite related system. The booklet is totally useless except as one might read Cliff's Notes and laugh at how they find meaning in a boot. The cards are worth the asking price if you want a museum quality deck to add to your collection of these decks. If you can't get the Scarlet Imprint version or already have a deck and just want another then this is worth your money.

Diese Karten sind etwas anspruchsvoller , da man schon genau hinsehen muss, um zu erkennen, um welche Karte es sich handelt. Besonders die großen Arkanen machen es nicht leicht, da sie ganz anders sind, als Waite und Co. Ich liebe sie. Es hat etwas besonderes mit einem der ältesten Decks zu legen. Für Anfänger nicht empfehlenswert, da gibt es leichtere Decks. Die Karten sind wahre Kunstwerke. Ich hätte mir die Rückseite edler gewünscht, aber das ändert nichts an meinen 5 Sternen. Sie kommen in einer edlen Schatulle und man fühlt sofort ihre Besonderheit. Es sind große Karten, nicht so leicht zu mischen, zumindest für mich. Sie gehen nicht so leicht von der Hand, wie zb Waite. Das macht aber gar nichts. Klare Kaufempfehlung.

The card stock feels fantastic & the large cards are a dream to work with The box is display quality & the deck is stunningly beautiful. I bonded immediately with this unusual historic deck If you truly love ancient cards the Sola Busca tarot is as essential as the Aquarian, Thoth or the Rider Waite.

Love these cards. From the feel, the artwork, the card stock and the box. Such a beautiful deck, sorry I haven't purchased sooner.

This is a masterpiece.

Il mazzo di tarocchi Sola Busca è qui proposto in un eccellente cofanetto raffinato e solido, con un libriccino annesso che ne racconta brevemente la storia. La qualità di stampa delle carte è "Museum quality". I colori sono magnifici e il cartoncino solido e robusto. Anche la dimensione rispecchia quella degli originali. I tarocchi Sola Busca rappresentano ad oggi il più antico mazzo completo conosciuto al mondo. Un pezzo davvero raro. In aggiunta gli arcani minori sono stati rappresentati in modo artistico e non usuale. Cosi pentacoli (danari), Coppe, Spade e Bastoni, divengono vive e pulsanti. Ricche di ignote immagini evocative legate all'Alchimia. Gli arcani maggiori paiono rappresentare invece figure storiche e differiscono molto dalla simbologia di altri mazzi, siano essi i Visconti+Sforza, i Raider Wait. Smith e ancor più dai Tarocchi di Aleister Crowley o dai marsigliesi. Ritengo questo bellissimo mazzo uno strumento di meditazione e ricerca, meno adatto alla divinazione in sé, e più all'approfondimento esoterico dei tarocchi stessi. Un pezzo certo immancabile per ogni vero amante dei tarocchi e del loro profondo mistero.