My online excursion through the Bibliothèque nationale de France not only turned up some interesting woodblocks, I also stumbled across this set of cards which appear to be related to the Belgian Tarot:

The BnF had this description (in French)

cote cliché: RC-C-01562
légende: Cartes à jouer : coupes, points et figures
département: Estampes et photographie
cote du document: RES KH-167 (367)-BOITE 8
partie de: Jeu de cartes
folio, pagination: Numéro 367
catégorie: Estampes
descripteur(s): jeu de cartes

This description doesn’t seem to reveal much other than that they are a “game of cards”.

I noticed immediately that the cards were related the the Jacques Vieville tarot, and the “Belgian Tarot”.

A good example of the Belgian Tarot pattern is the deck referred to as the “Bacchus Tarot”, or “Vandenborre Bacchus Tarot”, published by Carta Mundi/US Games.

The Belgian Tarot is thought to be a split from the Marseille Tarot, probably sometime in the 17th Century. Some consider the Jacques Vieville Tarot to be an ancestor, or classify the Vieville itself as a Belgian Tarot. With the Vieville dating, we know that most of the iconography of the pattern was set by the mid-1600s. The Belgian Tarot pattern is notable for replacing the Popess and Pope with, respectively, “Bacchus” and the “Spanish Captain Fracasse” (a figure from the Commedia dell’arte). The Tower has been replaced with “Lightening”, showing a shepard taking shelter under a tree. Other cards like the Sun, Moon, Star, and World also have distinctive features. The Vieville could be considered a mix of the Marseille tarot and the Belgian tarot as it has most of the iconography of the Belgian pattern, yet maintains the Pope and Popess of traditional Tarot.

You can read more about the Belgian Tarot on Andys Playing Cards and The Tarot Hermit.

Let’s look at the similarities of these decks.

The King of Coins

Jacques Vieville Tarot, Unknown BnF Belgian Tarot, Bacchus Belgian Tarot

Like the Vieville, the BnF image is untitled. The Bacchus cardmaker obviously placed the title on top of the existing image, practically obstructing the underlying image.

Most surprising to me is that the king seems to have lost part of his crown. I posted last week about the crowns of the Jacques Vieville Tarot, and my curiosity to discover if such crowns have ever actually existed, or whether they could be traced in art history. Even the Marseille Tarots show some form of hat coming out from the sides. Like so many other old tarot cards, the trend often seems to simplify; to remove detail. The Marseille decks that still exist do not show the top of the throne on the King of Cups, yet I suspect that, like the Belgian pattern, older, now lost versions of the Marseille Tarot probably also showed the top of the throne, but it was lost to “simplification”. For example, here is the King of Cups from the Jean Noblet Tarot:

The BnF Belgian seems to indicate fur on the kings trim, as does the Bacchus. I imagine this is to imply ermine fur, which carried the connotation of purity, and was often represented on royalty.

It’s also interesting to see the wall under the king’s leg replacing the throne and pillow on the Vieville.

It’s possible that the BnF and the Bacchus have reinterpreted the underside of the kings coat to be a pillow that he sits upon.

The Knight of Cups

Jacques Vieville Tarot, Unknown BnF Belgian Tarot, Bacchus Belgian Tarot

These images are all very similar. The coat with open sleeves and clasp, the spurs, the long hair; the Knight remains consistent. The horse changes slightly in the BnF version, rising higher off the ground; possibly due to the relatively small width of the card. The fringe on the covering of the Vieville Tarot horse is square, the others show a rounded trim.

The Valet of Cups

Jacques Vieville Tarot, Unknown BnF Belgian Tarot, Bacchus Belgian Tarot

The most obvious difference in the three depictions of the Valet of Cups is the different hats worn by the valets. It’s possible that all three indicate a chain of flowers worn around the brim. The Jacques Vieville Tarot cuts off the top of what appears to be a rather “fluffy” hat. The BnF Belgian Tarot only shows what appears to be a headband, but also has a distinct plume. The Bacchus Belgian Tarot is difficult to discern; some sort of at, possibly with feathers, is indicated.

Another clear difference is that while the BnF Valet seems to be standing still, with feet pointing in opposing directions, the Vieville and Bacchus seem to indicate movement, as if the valet is walking.

All three show an open cup in the Valet’s left hand, and the lid to the cup in the right. Typically, the Jacques Vieville Tarot shows the most detail of the three.

Beautiful Pips

What really struck me when looking at this group of cards was how beautiful the pips are. I’ve never seen any pips quite like these. The engraver put a lot of effort into the decoration of the pips, cards that often feel like a nessarary afterthought on so many decks. Instead, these cards show great detail in the ornamentation.

Ace of Cups
Jacques Vieville Tarot, Unknown BnF Belgian Tarot, Besançon Tarot (J.B. Benois)

Considering the Ace of Cups, I was struck by the similarity to the Besançon Tarot; another varient of the Marseille Tarot named after the Besançon region of Eastern France. The Jacques Vieville Tarot Ace of Cups is, (not surprisingly considering they were both created in Paris in the 1650s), very similar to the Jean Noblet Marseille Tarot Ace of Cups:

The BnF Belgian is more rounded, as typically portrayed in the Besançon family, (read more about the Besançon Tarot). It also has some organic growths along the bottom sides.

Two of Cups
Jacques Vieville Tarot, Jean Noblet Tarot, Unknown BnF Belgian Tarot

I think this is my favorite card of them all. I’m not sure at all what the tree growing from the pot is supposed to represent, but I sure love it. I think part of the effort was to get the two cups centered on the card to match other iconography, such as the Vieville and the Noblet, shown here; nevertheless, I find this very beautiful. I love how detailed the branches and leaves are on this card, it’s incredible!

Other Pips
Unknown BnF Belgian Tarot

In every way, this is a beautiful set of cards. It has bold and unique style, yet is not really full of surprises; the iconography is basically the same as other decks.

I’d like to know more about this deck. It seems a most unfamiliar and beautiful representation of tarot, truly a gift to us from the past.