Bagong Sining

Another stunner of a deck. This one is from Lynyrd Narciso who also created the Vanessa Tarot, the Moody Lane, and others. I managed to score a copy of the Bagong Sining from Lynyrd after I had thought they were sold out already! “Bagong Sining” is Tagalog, the old Filipino language, for Art Nouveau. It’s an extremely limited edition, only 45 will ever be created. In addition to the lush and distinctive artwork, this Majors-only deck actually has 44 cards: There are male and female versions of each. So yes, there are male and female High Priestesses, and male and female Emperors, and so on. Ly said it was ok to post a couple scans here, so for your viewing pleasure, I give you:

and

The Snake Charmer by Rousseau

The cards are matte on the back with either a light varnish or lamination on the fronts. I’m not really sure how he did it. You can see the jewel-like colors of the painting, they could be stained glass. The first card done, the Empress, was inspired by Henri Rousseau’s “The Snake Charmer.” Then he became fascinated with Persian miniatures so there’s that influence strongly in the Star and Judgment, among others.

At last count (this morning) there are still six decks remaining to be had.

AND in addition to this one, Ly gave two other teeny-tiny decks, also Majors only: Tarot Parac (2 1/2″ x 1 5/8″), and Tarot Giguil measuring 2 1/2″ x1 3/8″, each in it’s own little handmade foil paper bag in a color to complement the deck. He says he used to do origami so creating the little bags was not so bad. But the box the large deck came in is extraordinary in and of itself. It’s a beautiful handmade box, tied with an attached black ribbon. It’s lined with the same lovely green foil paper the Tarot Parac deck’s bag is made of. It flips up, like a book. I tried to get a photo of the inside last night, but was having problems with my camera.

Oh, to be an artist! I can’t even draw stick figures.