Tarot Phillippe Vachier 1639

The Philippe Vachier Tarot of 1639 holds a remarkable distinction: it is the oldest known complete Marseille deck in existence. What has survived is in extraordinary condition, preserving the artistry of a Type 1 Marseille deck produced in the city where this card-making tradition was born. The imagery features a vibrant six-color palette including violet, a pigment rarely used in card printing before 1700, and the engravings show a level of precision that speaks to the mastery of the workshop that produced them.

This reproduction was led by Yves Reynaud of Tarot de Marseille Heritage with scholarly contributions from French historian Thierry Depaulis. Philippe Vachier was a cartier, a professional card-maker, who worked in Marseille from 1632 to approximately 1675, establishing a family tradition of craft that his descendants continued for generations.