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These illustrations are from Tarot artist Robert M. Place's newest deck, The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, a work in progress. Prints are $25 each. The details for purchasing are at the bottom of the page. You can also use the Pay Pal shopping cart as you go. See the bottom of the page for details. Scroll down to view the images. Use the name listed below when ordering. | |
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The Annotated Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery is a portfolio of images that is a deck, a book, and a work of art all at once. Although this is an innovative approach, this idea does follow a Renaissance tradition, as I will explain below.
Traditionally, there are two parts to setting up a magical act. First our intent has to be clearly stated. Second, we must call for helpers from the inner world and make a connection to their stories or myths. Magical traditions accomplish this in two ways, either by using words, such as quotes from the Bible or the Koran or images such as an idol or the paintings on the walls of a temple. To the Egyptians, however, words and images were one and the same; they were hieroglyphs. This was the advantage of the Egyptian magical practice; words and images were united and the left and the right sides of the brain acted together.
Renaissance artists, philosophers, and magicians fell in love with Egyptian hieroglyphs and attempted to make their own contemporary versions. This practice led to the fifteenth century fashion for enigmatic symbolic images that filled philosophical and alchemical texts. The Tarot is another result of that passion. Because of their reliance on the written word, however, hieroglyphs did not work as well for the people of the Renaissance as they did for the Egyptians; therefore, the artists and thinkers of the Renaissance worked out a solution in which symbolic imagery was combined with words - beautifully rendered in calligraphy - to complete the communication. The Annotated Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery is created in that Renaissance tradition.
The deck started with my love of the paintings of the 19th century painter Burne-Jones. I wanted to see what a deck designed with his sensuality and sense of symbolism would look like. It quickly became clear, however, that just as Burne-Jones’ paintings were a reexamination of the sensuality and the mystical themes of the Renaissance this deck would also be rooted in the Renaissance tradition, and it would be the perfect vehicle to express the mystical philosophy that was incorporated in the Tarot by its 15th century creators. The Annotated Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery is the realization of that vision.
Like all magical works, this deck falls in the cracks between common definitions. It can be used as a deck of cards for divination but it is also a book of unbound pages that explains the philosophy and allegory of the Tarot. The written message on each card explains the symbolism and the theme of the card but not necessarily its divinatory meaning. The text is open ended and invites us to contemplate the image on a deeper level.
This deck is also a work of art that is larger than an average Tarot, 8.5" by 5.5" and printed on archival rag paper. Each card is suitable for framing. Lastly, it is a deck for meditation or contemplation and each card can be displayed on an easel for this purpose. The Fool and all 21 trumps are represented. There is also a title card, three cards containing introductory text, a glossary of unusual terms, and a card with a chart of the seven ancient planets and their correspondences to soul centers, virtues and vices and other references, 28 cards in all.
These images can also be ordered as seperate prints at the same price as the unannotated ones. Large, 11" by 17" prints of this series are on exhibit at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum from January 23 to May 9,2010. The exhibit has been reviewed in the Los Angeles Times, on Sunday, January 24, 2010.

Any of the illustrations on this page can be purchased as signed limited edition prints on 100% cotton rag paper for $25 each. The image size is 9.5" by 6.25"centered on an 8.5"" by 11" paper with a rag mattboard backing and enclosed in a protective plastic envelope. Larger prints 17" high printed on heavy cotton rag paper with archival ink (designed to last for 100s of years) may also be purchased for $300.00.
The Annotated Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery is $50.00 and includes 28 cards, 8.5" by 5.5".
To order go to the Order Page by clicking on the icon below:
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If you have been using the Pay Pal Shopping cart, click on the icon below to view your cart:
Robert M. Place has designed five published Tarot decks, The Alchemical Tarot, The Tarot of the Saints, The Buddha Tarot, The Vampire Tarot,and The Angels Tarot. This deck will be his sixth. It is titled The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery. Illustrations form this deck have been used in an advertising campaign and have won a 2004 ADDY award from the American Advertising Federation and they have been the subject of an article in the January 28, 2010, Los Angeles Times.
To contact Robert M. Place to ask for a quote on an illustration project or to ask for a CD with samples of more of his illustrations: Robert M. Place
call: (845) 246-0180
write:
34 Moon Rd.
Saugerties, NY 12477
e-mail: robroseplac@aol.com
all art copyright R. M. Place
To the Illustration page
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To the Print Index with more samples
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