Muse o Dei by Hermatena

Mutus Liber

TAROCCHI APPROPRIATI

This unusual collaborative project harkens back to a time in Tarot history when nobility would enjoy playing clever parlor games with the cards. The accompanying 96-page booklet gives a brief overview of the historical context from which the hosts of Tarocchi Appropriati (Morena Poltronieri & Ernesto Fazioli) were inspired to pay homage to such ancient Tarot word games. Written documentation still in existence from 1668 – 1725 Bologna shares how these challenging games were performed in playful (often catty) competition amongst friends. As Morena Poltronieri explains:

The “Appropriate Tarots” were presented in Bologna (Italy) and Lodovico Frati, in a manuscript of 1668, wrote about this particular system of reading. ‘The Trumps of Appropriate tarocchini’, were composed of two different parts: the first part listing the correspondence between the Trumps and the ladies of the past, and the second supplies in prose an explanation of the proposed correspondence. From this ancient system of reading was born the project “Appropriate Tarot.” Like in the past, the 22 Major Arcana inspire poetry – one poem for each card.

We are invited, along with this select group of artists to revisit an ancient era in Bologna, when a group of refined ladies would gather together to play parlor games (often ‘tongue’ in cheek’) with hand-painted Tarocchi cards, in order to test wits and lyrical skills with insight or parody on public figures & social commentary, as relating to each Trump card.

The 22 Major Arcana cards created for this deck by the various international artists are presented in B&W in the booklet along with the artists’ own interpretations, which is then followed by an inspired bit of prose by Jari Casagrande. This poet also created the IX Hermit card. While renowned Tarot historian Giovanni Pelosini who oversaw this project contributed the XIV Temperance Card.

The artists are listed towards the beginning of the 96-page booklet, with their biographies in the index section.

Below, you can find the artists listed in the order of their cards with links to some of their other artistic contributions, when available online. Thirteen of the 22 cards are presented here, along with the cover art, which was created by the popular surrealist Jessica Angiulli. This unique set is recommended for Tarot collectors and history buffs.

Tarocchi Appropriati

23 Artists – Card Titles in Italian

JESSICA ANGIULLI – Creator of the Cover Art

GIOVANNI MONTI – MATTO – 0 Fool

LUCIO MONDINI – MAGO – I Magician

CATERINA FORESI – PAPESSA – II High Priestess

MARTINO BARBIERI – IMPERATRICE – III Empress

OCTAVIA MONACO – IMPERATORE – IV Emperor

ALAIN GIANNOTTI – PAPA – V Hierophant

ERIC LERNER – AMANTI – VI Lovers

CLAIRE SANTI – CARRO – VII Chariot

PARIDE CEVOLANI – GIUSTIZIA – VIII Justice

JARI CASAGRANDE – EREMITA – IX Hermit

MARIARITA FRAZZONI – RUOTA DI FORTUNA – X Wheel of Fortune

TIZIANA BERTACCI – FORZA – XI Strength

ANTONELLO MANTOVANI – APPESO – XII Hanged Man

ORNELLA LAMBERTI – MORTE – XIII Death

GIOVANNI PELOSINI – TEMPERANZA – XIV Temperance

REBECCA MIETZELFELD – DIAVOLO – XV Devil

FRANCESCA RICCI – TORRE – XVI Tower

PAYAL ANIL PADMANABHAN – STELLE – XVII Star

RITA MINELLI – LUNA – XVIII Moon

ADOLFINA DE STEFANI – SOLE – XIX Sun

PATRICIA BROWN – GIUDIZIO – XX Judgment

FRANCO COLETTI – MONDO – XXI World