Minchiate Etruria 1725

Originally published in Florence around 1725 and printed from copper plate etchings with hand-applied watercolors, the Minchiate Etruria is a stunning example of the extended Italian card tradition. Minchiate developed from standard tarot by adding twelve zodiac signs, four virtues, and four elements to reach a total of 97 cards, making it a richer and more complex system than the 78-card tarot most readers know today. The cards have a semi-gloss finish with square corners and are produced in a second limited edition of 2,000. Several details make this deck memorable: horse cards appear as hybrid human-animal figures, card number 30 carries the Medici family seal, and the backs feature the decorative paper-folded border common to Italian cards of the period.