The oldest Tarot cards in existence, dating from mid-fifteenth-century Italy, are known as the Visconti or Visconti-Sforza cards, after the noble families that are believed to have commissioned them. Several partial decks from this pattern have been found; the most complete consists of seventy-four cards. Thirty-five of these are housed at the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, while the remaining thirty-nine are located in Bergamo, Italy. The deck is therefore identified as the Pierpont Morgan-Bergamo Visconti-Sforza Tarot, though the name is sometimes shortened to Visconti-Sforza or just Visconti. It should not be confused with the so-called Cary-Yale Visconti Tarot, a less complete deck with some peculiar features. You can read more about both decks at Andy's Playing Cards.
Compared to a standard Tarot deck, four cards are missing altogether from the Visconti-Sforza: the Devil, the Tower, the Three of Swords, and the Knight of Coins. Several publishers have sold reproductions of this deck, each with a different interpretation of the absent cards. While the Three and Knight are relatively standard, having the other suit and court cards for reference, the two trumps vary greatly in design and are presented here for comparison.
NOTE: Cards are not shown actual size
U.S. Games
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Il Meneghello
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Dal Negro
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Lo Scarabeo (2000)
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Lo Scarabeo Book and Deck Set (2002)
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All of the cards from the U.S. Games reproduction can be viewed at Tarot.com.
I am indebted to the following for photos: Tarot Garden, Wicce's Tarot Collection, Mark Filipas, and Mari Hoshizaki.
