Italian illustrator Tino Avelli isn’t the only mid-century poster or paperback artist who produced a set of cards, but his deck of tarots might be the coolest. Above is the copertina or cover, and below are twenty-two more representing Avelli’s take on the entire major arcana, including the always popular cards depicting La morte (Death—symbolic of change in standard tarot), and L’appeso (the Hanged Man—symbolic of self-sacrifice). Since the lettering and numbering on these are just longhand scribbles, we can be sure they’re studies for versions that were never finalized or produced. But either way, they’re very interesting pieces.
Tarots first appeared in the 15th century and, after some refinement, eventually reached their common form of seventy-eight cards with twenty-two trumps and four suits (wands, cups, swords, and pentacles) of fourteen cards each. Originally they were used as playing cards, but thanks to the efforts of French occultists in the late 18th century acquired their current association with divination, as well as their usefulness as a tool to fleece the credulous, or at least the curious. We don’t know when Avelli produced his deck, but he was most active during the 1960s, so possibly they date from that period.
