Tarot de Marseille

Where do all modern tarot decks originate from? Meet Tarot de Marseille (TdM), the first popular direct descendant of the original Italian tarot game, and the deck used by Arthur Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith as the foundation for the RWS deck.

Although tarot originated in Northern Italy (tarocchi), the Marseille style deck found it’s beginnings in France. The earliest known Marseille-style decks are the Vachie Tarot deck (possibly originating in 1639), and Nicolas Rolichon Tarot deck (possibly dating back to 1657). The first modern TdM that we know of was printed by Pierre Madenie of Dijon in 1709. TdM then became the gold standard of tarot decks.

In 1781, more than a century after its creation, the French writer and Freemason, Antoine Court de Gebelin, was the first to propose that the Tarot de Marseille was a vessel for ancient wisdom that could be revealed through careful analysis of its images.

Marseille-style decks became the most long-lasting, consistent design of any tarot deck. The minor arcana of a TdM deck are not rich with occultist symbolism, which many find to be more flexible in meaning compared to RWS. Spreads are meant to be simple and uncluttered.

If you’re new to reading TdM, I recommend pairing the guidebook found with your deck and online resources to learn the system. This site from Selfgazer is particularly informative: https://www.selfgazer.com/blog/tarot-de-marseille-interpretation-guide.

Ready to get your own 1930 Tarot de Marseille?

The deck pictured above is the 1930 Tarot de Marseille printed by B.P Grimaud of Paris. It was discontinued shortly afterward at the start of World War II.

While rooted in traditional TdM imagery, this deck reflects the artistic practices of the era. Today, it stands as a historically significant revival of the classic Marseille design.