Golden Art Nouveau Tarot is a tarot deck created by Giulia F. Massaglia and Lo Scarabeo and published by Llewellyn. I really enjoy this Tarot deck and its take on the classic Rider-Waite imagery, but I do think that it falls short of being a great deck.
However, it is an incredibly beautiful deck, and it may be perfect for you! Let’s go through the Golden Art Nouveau Tarot deck and learn about its pros and cons.
Table of Contents
What is The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot Deck?
You can guess from the name, this deck is in an Art Nouveau style with iconic curvy design elements. It brings together a pretty flamboyant art movement with traditional Tarot imagery and pulls it off perfectly!
The suits and cards all follow the traditional Rider-Waite deck, with very similar imagery and symbolism. This means that if you are confident with the Rider-Waite deck, you will be able to read these cards with ease.
The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot Deck Review
The deck comes in a beautiful box with the Temperance card on the front and the Strength card on the back. As someone who has a deep connection with the Strength card, it did make me smile to see it on the box!
I do love the gold that makes the box and the cards glow, it really feels like you have a bit of magic in your hands.
But to be honest, for being such a ‘rich’ deck, the box it comes in is rather flimsy and made of thin cardboard with a flap on the top.
Perhaps I can forgive that because it’s all about the cards anyway! If they can reduce the production cost by putting all the effort and quality into the cards, I’m all for it.
But, when so many Tarot decks out there have strong boxes that protect your cards, it does make you wonder if the Golden Art Nouveau Tarot deck is really worth it. When we buy a new Tarot deck, we might not be able to also buy a bag or box for our cards too.
The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot Guidebook
Like most Tarot decks out there, the Golden Art Nouveau Tarot deck comes with a guidebook in the box. It contains instructions on how to use the cards and a brief description of each card. The descriptions are beautifully written and highlight the energy of each card.
I already mentioned that the box is thin and a bit disappointing. The same goes for the guidebook. It’s very thin with black and white print and is about the size of the cards. The brief description of each card is sufficient but lacks real depth.
If you want to learn more about the possible meanings of each card, I suggest buying a tarot-dedicated book to learn from and use these cards to practice reading Tarot. The guidebook is not very accessible for beginners.
The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot Cards
Now, let’s talk about the cards! They have beautiful and updated images of classic archetypes from Rider-Waite’s tradition that follows the art nouveau style. The gold that we see on the box follows its way throughout the deck bringing light and life to the Tarot cards.
The details on the cards are delicate and intricate and each card has a white border. The imagery is super elegant and you can get lost in the beauty of the deck!
Cards don’t have names on them, only numbers. This means that this deck is probably not for you if you’re new to Tarot and are not familiar with each card yet.
Each card is a part matte image and part golden leaf that usually fills the empty space in the background. It looks nice, rich, and shiny. It has a tendency of flaking, so don’t be surprised to have sparkly fingers after shuffling them!
Cards are non-gilded, which in my opinion would be overkill anyway since they are already golden. The cards are not too thick when stacked together, and since they are rather narrow it makes them easier to hold. My hands are not that big, so I’d say this deck is the perfect size for me.
The backs of the cards have a mirrored picture of a tree, art nouveau design elements, and a picture of a crescent moon and sun in the center.
The Major Arcana
The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot deck sticks with the traditional imagery throughout the deck but brings fresh energy into the characterizations on the cards. We can really see this on the Major Arcana cards.
If we take a look at the Fool, we can see an almost identical card to the Rider-Waite deck. However, the updated colors, the gold, and the Art Nouveau border really bring fresh life into the depiction of the card.
I also really love the Sun card in this deck. The Sun card is all about optimism and happiness and the creators of the Golden Art Nouveau deck have really managed to put this energy into the card! The child appears to be bursting with excitement, with the sun watching on.
The Minor Arcana
Again, the Minor Arcana follows the traditional Rider-Waite but brings fresh energy and color into the cards. The gold leaf that follows through the deck is not forgotten about in the Minor Arcana, and the cards are truly wonderful to read with.
Take a look at the Ace of Swords, a card all about fresh energy and clarity. The gold leaf magnifies its meaning and you really sense what the card is telling you.
Golden Art Nouveau Tarot Deck Unboxing and Flip Through Video
If you want to see all the cards of the deck, check out the video below.
The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot Review Summary
- Quality: Narrow, medium-sized non-gilded cards. Good-quality card stock.
- Design: High-quality professionally drawn illustrations of Rider-Waite tradition in updated beautiful art nouveau style. Golden leaf gives this deck a luxurious feel.
- Difficulty: These cards have no names on them, only numbers. That’s why I’d recommend this deck to everyone who is already familiar with the traditional Rider-Waite system and knows each card by heart. If you’re looking for a nicer-looking Rider-Waite deck – this is one of the most beautiful decks out there.
The box and guidebook of this deck are pretty underwhelming. I was kind of disappointed by them when I first got my hands on this deck.
However, I love the cards and their design a lot. I really wanted something that closely follows Rider-Waite imagery but with an updated look, and these cards deliver. The cards are truly stunning and I do think that the beauty of the cards does outweigh the disappointment with the box and guidebook.
VIEW PRICE
However, because of the gold leaf and the flaking problem, these cards may be too fancy for everyday use. What do you think about the Golden Art Nouveau Tarot deck? Let me know in the comments below!
If you’re looking for more Tarot deck inspiration, make sure to check out my Best Tarot Decks article.
Disclaimer: All reviews posted on this blog are honest opinions of its author and contain no promotional material unless stated otherwise.
Jason says
The artwork is fantastic. I wish the cards were on a black background/backing/border. Thicker more substantial card stock would also make these a 10/10.
Wille says
I agree! What an amazing design.
Wille xxxx
Gerald Lee Posey says
I love this deck. I had to buy it as soon as I saw it. Maybe it’s just the way I shuffle, but these cards want to talk. Quite often one or more will flip within the stack. When they do fly out, it’s with force. One thing really fun is sometimes in a spread one card will hide underneath another then appear. later as a surprise. The artist brought personality to the figures and even the horses have expressive faces. So much detail. They are stiff and my poor old arthritic hands find it hard to shuffle.
Wille says
Hey, love your comment! I have certain decks that feel very playful, and definitely want to talk to me!
Wille xxxx