Tarot Through the Ages: When the Cards Became Art

— A Chaotic Curator Deep Dive into Mysticism, Aesthetic, and the Ultimate Collector’s Flex

Before it was the reason your ex texted “I had a dream about you” at 2:14 a.m., before it was lovingly spread out on velvet cloths for shadow work and spiritual selfies, before it launched a thousand Etsy shops and indie illustrators into the mystical stratosphere... tarot was just a game.

Yes, bestie. A game.

Specifically, a fancy trick-taking game played by 15th-century Italian rich people who had so much time and money that they commissioned artists to paint literal gold-leaf illustrations on glorified Uno cards. These weren’t prophetic tools—they were status symbols. Artworks disguised as entertainment. (Or maybe entertainment disguised as artwork? 🤔)

But over centuries—and a few dramatic occult plot twists—those pretty picture cards transformed into one of the most iconic mystical art forms in the world. So today, we’re diving headfirst into the gilded, arcane rabbit hole that is the history of tarot, where Renaissance aesthetics meet magical rebellion, and every deck tells a story.

🎴 Act I: Gold, Glory, and the Bougiest Game of All Time

It all starts in the mid-1400s, in the courts of Milan and Ferrara, where the nobility had access to a level of wealth and leisure that basically screamed “I’m bored—let’s invent vibes.”

Enter the Visconti-Sforza Tarot: hand-painted, dripping in gold, and probably worth more than your car. These decks weren’t used for divination. They were designed for Tarocchi, a trick-taking game. But the illustrations? Chef’s kiss. Symbolic, elaborate, a little spooky. Each one was a tiny Renaissance painting. Honestly, they walked so indie tarot artists could run.

Tarot at this point wasn’t mystical—but it was absolutely art. Art made to be touched, shuffled, and flexed.

 

🧿 Act II: Printing Presses & The Age of Mass Appeal

By the 1700s, tarot had gone full Virgo—standardized, structured, and suddenly everywhere thanks to woodblock printing. This was the Marseille Tarot era, and if the Visconti decks were rich auntie vibes, Marseille was the quirky older cousin with Opinions™️ and weirdly intense eye contact.

Still mostly used for playing cards, but now, the imagery was more accessible—and reproducible. Which meant… the people (and later the occultists) were starting to take notes.

 

🔥 Act III: It’s Giving… Mysticism

Cue dramatic organ music, because now we enter the shadowy candlelit realm of 18th and 19th-century mystics.

French occultists like Etteilla and Éliphas Lévi looked at tarot and went: “Okay but what if this was actually a cosmic roadmap?” They started connecting the cards to astrology, the Kabbalah, and all kinds of esoteric knowledge. The cards weren’t just art anymore—they were portals.

This is when tarot began to transform into a tool of insight, rebellion, and ritual.

Suddenly, it wasn’t just about what the cards showed… it was about what they meant.

 

👁️🗨️ Act IV: Enter The High Priestess of Tarot—Pamela Colman Smith

1909. Rider-Waite-Smith hits the scene, and honestly? Tarot would never be the same again.

While the deck was commissioned by mystic bro Arthur Edward Waite, it was Pamela Colman Smith, a queer woman of color and full-on artistic powerhouse, who illustrated the entire thing. Her symbolic, story-rich style turned every card—even the minor arcana—into a visual journey. She gave us The Fool as we know him. She gave us that wistful Two of Swords. She gave us vibes.

And yet? History erased her. For a while, it was just the Rider-Waite deck. But now? We’re giving Pamela her crown back. (And maybe a gilded chalice while we're at it.)

 

🧚♀️ Act V: Indie Revolution & The Tarot Renaissance

Flash forward to now: tarot has officially ascended.

It’s no longer a niche occult hobby—it’s a global art movement. Indie decks are flourishing. Artists are using the tarot structure to tell their own stories, represent their communities, and channel their magic.

There are:

• Queer decks

• BIPOC-centered decks

• Gothic horror tarot decks

• Minimalist botanical tarot decks

• Tarot decks with cats in full medieval garb

Each one is not just a tool—it’s a spell in paper form.

At Maison du Corbeau, we see tarot as both divinatory and decorative, ritualistic and radically expressive. That’s why we created The Unknown Grimoire—a tarot experience in a box that celebrates the evolving art form and the creators keeping it alive.

 

💌 Final Thoughts (And a Friendly Challenge)

Tarot didn’t start as a mystical tool—but it became one through art, myth, and pure chaotic magic. Today, it’s a mirror, a message, a masterpiece in 78 frames.

So tell me, bestie: What tarot deck owns your soul and won’t give it back?
Drop it in the comments. Bonus points for pictures. Extra bonus points if it’s weird.

And if you don’t have one yet… maybe it’s time to meet your match. 💫
[cue mysterious rustling from the Unknown Grimoire's shelf]