Tarocco Piemontese by Giovanni Rossi
18th c. Piedmont Tarocchi by Giovanni Rossi, Turin.
An Italian-suited 78-card, single-ended Piemontese tarot pack produced by Giovanni Rossi, Turin, containing four suits of 14 (ace, king, queen, knight, jack and 2-10) plus 22 trumps. No turnover edges.


The courts and numeral cards
An inscription on the font-like ace of cups reads “Rossi Torino” on the 2 “Fabrica di Rossi in Torino”. On the aces of swords and clubs can be read “Rossi Gioni. conda. [?contra] dei Peliciai Porta No. 8 Torino”, and on the ace of coins “Rossi”. The names of the court cards and trumps are in Italian. The coins numeral cards (danari) have their values in the centre of each coin.




Above: Piedmont Tarot by Giovanni Rossi, Turin. 78 cards, hand-coloured woodcuts, backs printed with a check pattern in blue and white. 18th c. In original leather box lined with decorative paper. © The Trustees of the British Museum • Museum number 1896,0501.4►
See the leather case►
References
O’Donoghue, Freeman M: Catalogue of the collection of playing cards bequeathed by Lady Charlotte Schreiber, (Italian 21), Trustees of the British Museum, London, 1901 [digital version here]

By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
Related Articles

Tarock Cards by NIL Spielkartenfabrik
A deck of tarock cards from the eastern end of the ending Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Justice playing cards
Ethical concepts in a deck produced by Riccardo Conturbia’s Passione Playing Cards Ltd.

Tarot hiéroglyphique égyptien
The design of the cards draws inspiration from various religious and philosophical traditions merged...

Alan Tarot Deck
Reprint of a Tarock pack originally designed by Argio Orell for the Austrian Lloyd shipping company....

Tarot Baraja Egipcia
Curious Tarot with Egyptian-style trumps issued by Franco Mora Ruiz from Mexico.

Le Tarot de Sète
Reinterpretation of the Tarot de Marseille by Julien Labat, an artist from Sète.

Tarot Philatélique
Tarot game pack with French postage stamps on all the courts, aces and trumps.

Il Tarocco del Mondo Nuovo
Imaginative Tarot card designs by Amerigo Folchi relating to Columbus and the New World.

22 Artisti Liguri in 22 Arcani
Collaborative set of major arcana devoted to Christopher Columbus and his voyages of discovery.

Carte di Colombo
Fully illustrated pack designed by Pier Canosa commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery ...

The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot
Marty Yeager’s original Tarot of Meditation from 1975, republished later by U.S. Games Systems, Inc....

Engel-Tarot
Set of major arcana designed by Alois Hanslian depicting angels throughout.

Carte di Natale
Designed by Pier Canosa as a Christmas pack for the Cortina Art Gallery in Milan.

Tarot Actuel 1984
Major arcana to cut out, issued with the French magazine Actuel, using photographic images.

Lyon pattern made in Italy by Pietro de Santi
The Lyon pattern was initially developed in France during the 16th century. As Lyon was a trading hu...

Mountain Dream Tarot
Groundbreaking Tarot created by Bea Nettles, using photographs and photo montage.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days