The Giotto Tarot draws its inspiration from Giotto de Bondone, an Italian painter who lived from 1267 to 1337. Giotto is known for moving art in his time away from a stiff formalism based on traditional forms. He encourged the observation of nature and brought a spirit of humanism to his works. The figures in his paintings display an emotional range unusual for the period. The Giotto Tarot is the work of Italian painter Guido Zibordi Marchesi, an expert in Medieval Art. Marchesi recreates Giotto’s style within the context of the tarot.
Each card has the image and a number and name in six languages. The background of the major arcana cards is a golden-brown. Each of the four suits also has a representative color. The pip cards show figures and suit tokens, with the number of each matching the card’s number. These scenes are posed, but expressive at the same time. This deck is produced by Lo Scarabeo in Italy, but is distributed in the US by Llewellyn.