I Tarocchi dell'amore Sacro e profano - The Tarot of Love; Sacred & Profane
A Very Limited Edition 78 Card Set
Inspired by Love in All its Guises
Created by Franco Coletti
Published by il Meneghello in 2012
Only 12 Special Edition Sets Available
Signed and Numbered by the Artist
Text in Italian, with a booklet in English (upon request)
Card Dimensions: 5.5 inches by 3.25 inches, approximately (13.97 x 8.26 cm.)
Card Backs: Have an Image (Shown Below) - Not Reversible
Price: € 120. Euro

This is a deeply personal deck by the artist Franco Coletti for his mysterious Madame 'D'. She inspires him as do many great writers and poets who speak the language of love. And Osvaldo Menegazzi; who made the publication of this deck possible (along with several other decks the artist has created in an amazingly short span of time) is again immortalized. This time Osvaldo is portrayed as the King of Coins feeding a bird with a morsel of food from his lips (which he has been known to do). Birds come to visit Osvaldo in his shop on a daily basis. He leaves the door ajar so when they tweet their presence, he has food at the ready for his little buddies. It is just one of the many endearing qualities of this gentle genius who Coletti and I are both proud to call our friend.

Franco Coletti translated his booklet into English and shares the various motivations for this deck aside from 'D'. Specifically authors who write of adoration, passion, empathy and solace from passages written long ago. As Coletti writes:

Like all things, Love also has various aspects. It can be like that of an angel, pure and even mystical, it can also be a really earthy love, connected to flesh and to desires which may have a dark connotation and even touch our most secret shadows. If it is true love, it is like the shaman's braided rope ladders that go from hell to heaven and back, but always speak one language of the heart...

So in this new series of cards I wanted to touch all aspects of passion. D is my (and your) guide on this journey. She's practically everywhere and in thousands of guises (and even without any): Petrarch's Laura, Beatrice for Dante,(as in the previous deck - Divine Comedy), ) but also as the Lady adorned by the Provencal troubadours, the mysterious Dark Lady of the last Shakespearian sonnets, Catullu's Lesbia, Rilke's Lou Salome. In more than half of the illustrations, D allows the use of her face; in others her implicit essence.

Franco Coletti's shares the inspiration for each suit thusly: Cups as the connecting link between the ''divine'' dimension and the human one. The suit of Coins is largely devoted to Rainer Maria Rilke the poet; while the Wands are equally balanced between Sappho and Catullus. The suit of Swords was taken from Shakespeare (more specifically from sonnet number 127; the notorious protagonist of his verse of the ''Dark Lady''). For Coletti she signifies Lilith or the Black Moon. In the booklet Coletti also offers six of his own poems which may be best read while perusing the deck.

This special deck available in a very limited edition of only twelve signed and numbered sets. The cards are a pale yellow, and made of textured cardstock. It should be noted that quite a few of the images are sexually explicit but as they are illustrations, perhaps they would not offend the screamish. The backs have an image (of Ms. D perched on an Owl) and are therefore not reversible (shown below).

The sturdy crafted box which accompanies this deck has a title card affixed to the top with thick cardstock, giving it an attractive, dimensional look. It includes the finishing touch of Osvaldo's signature hot wax seal along with the familiar il Meneghello logo. This deck became available in 2012.

Other Tarot Decks by Franco Coletti reviewed here:
Un Grande Amore
Les Tarot Noirs
Emi Tarot's (Emi's Tarot)
Divine Comedy’s Tarot
i nuovi Tarocchi dell'amor Sacro e Profano

Cards shown on this page are 0 - Fool, 7 - Chariot, and 10 of Wands - top row
Knight of Wands, Ace of Cups and Knave of Cups - 2nd row
4 of Coins, 7 of Coins and King of Coins - 3rd row
King of Swords, Title Card and the Card Back - bottom row

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