Tarot of Columbus

Tarot of Columbus
Amerigo Folchi, 1991

Here is another 78-card deck by Amerigo Folchi, this time based upon the voyages of Christopher Columbus. My first impression was to notice how colorful this deck was. But the linework itself is so intricate that the drawings could have stood alone in black and white, similar in style to metal engravings. Though the color provides richness, the linework gives depth and shading to each design.

The deck recalls that period of the 1400’s in which the mainlands were believed to lie within the center of the world, surrounded in all directions by a Sea whose bounds were unknown. Columbus, however, believed that these bounds could be charted. The Magician, shown above, shows him as the iconoclast sailor calculating his journey with the tools on the table before him.

Not surprisingly for the time, Columbus’ knowledge was a blend of science and fantasy. For example, he was sure that the Earthly Paradise was to be found in a temperate region just beyond the equator (ship’s log February 21, 1493). During the journey, he and his men believed they saw cyclops, sirens, and men with tails. “I realized that far away from there existed men with only one eye and others with dog noses” (ship’s log, November 4). And again, “The day before, when the admiral arrived at Rio de Oro, he claims to have seen three sirens who appeared well above the surface but weren’t as beautiful as they are commonly described to be” (January 9, 1493). Such creatures are shown on Folchi’s Moon card (not seen here), and influence some of his courts, like the Knight of Cups shown below.

At the same time, Columbus’ knowledge was convincing enough to assuage fears of sailing into the uncharted western horizon. But when he began to realize during the voyage that they should have already hit land according to his calculations, he would falsify the distance traveled each day while keeping a secret, more accurate log – something one might expect from a Magician or mountebank. This was to quell his crew’s growing concern and their desire to return home.

Several of the cards allude to Columbus’ faith in divine destiny and in the Catholic Church. The High Priestess, shown above, is based on a painting of The Virgin of the Navigators which hangs in the Alcàzar in Seville. She seems to be protecting the two ships near her feet by keeping the storm clouds at bay. The Empress, also shown above, depicts Isabel of Castile who, along with Fernando of Aragon, finally agreed to supply Columbus with the men and ships needed for his voyage.

Folchi’s booklet shows his admiration toward Columbus. But several designs also show the controversial elements of the story. Trump XI, Force, shows a warrior who is manning a cannon, representing the conquest of America by force of arms. Trump XIII, Death, shows an armored skeleton with bloody scythe as an allegory of the Spanish slaughter of American natives. Trump XV, The Devil, shows American Indians sitting chained in manacles at the feet of Columbus.

The minor arcana are illustrated with the suit signs placed with items of historical importance. Folchi describes the suit of Coins as “associated with the wealth and natural resources that were available to the colonizers of the new continent and that would later assume a vast cultural and commercial importance in Europe and European society.” Each pip in this suit is illustrated with an agricultural product; the Two of Coins shows potatoes, the Three of Coins shows corn (shown above), and the Four of Coins shows zucchini.

The suit of Cups “represents the most profound sentiments of the spirit, memories, reminiscence, gentleness, love. In this deck cups are associated with the vast dimensions of the Ocean.” This suit illustrates a ship at sea, and above it are cups arranged against a variety of colorful weather patterns.

The suit of Swords symbolizes aggression and imperialistic spirit. These cards are illustrated simply with swords arranged against geometric shapes.

The suit of Wands presents the timeline of Columbus’ voyages, using a map labeled with the dates for each journey. The Ace of Wands depicts a ship at dock, symbolizing the initial departure. The Two of Wands outlines the path traveled during his first trip during 1492 to 1493, from Spain to the San Salvadorean Isles and back home again. His second voyage is outlined on the Three of Wands (shown below), when he returned to explore Puerto Rico and the Haitian Isles during 1493 to 1496. Subsequent cards show his third and fourth voyages, and the exploration and eventual colonization of North and South America.

Folchi’s Italian text has been translated in the booklet into English, French, and Spanish; all four versions are included with the deck. The Tarot of Columbus was printed in 1991 by Italcards in a limited edition of 3000. The edition number is stamped on the bottom of the box. The deck can usually be found at Alida.

Review by Mark Filipas, 1/5/01