Description
Vievil Trumps / TSR013 / hand painted
The cards are constructed from two printed sheets of 160gr verger paper, glued together with handmade glue from a traditional recipe. The sheets are then pressed and dried before being painted and cut by hand.
Number of Cards: 22 + 2 extra cards (2 of Cups & Ace of Coins)
Card size: 12.7 x 7cm
Packaging: Handmade artisanal cardboard protection ring, and hand-painted envelope
Ring Size: 14 x 2 x 7.5cm
Each deck is dated (MMXXII) and signed
Restoration of the Iaqves Vievil Tarot Trumps
To redraw the tarot of Iacqves Vievil, I referred to the only copy, preserved in the National Library of France (Paris).
My approach to tarot restoration is always to preserve as faithfully as possible the character of the original woodcuts. In my redrawing, I made the finest details clearly visible.
One of my personal goals, during the restoration process, has been to explore, via the stencil colouring phase, the richer colour palette that this tarot used to have and play with. When the light blue covers the yellow, for example, it creates a beautiful green, which is not visible on the historical deck anymore.
Particularities of the Iaqves Vievil Tarot
This astonishingly creative tarot is a French ancestor of the so-called “Rouen-Bruxelles” tradition. It was manufactured around 1650 by the Parisian card maker Jacques Viéville.
The cards of this tarot are not named but a short prose can be read along the Ace of Coins and the 2 of Cups:
Ace of Coins: PERE SAINCT FAIT / MOY YUSTICE DE CE / VIELART MA E BAGA / AMOREVX DE / CESTE DAME QVY / SOIT CRYE A SON DE / TROMPE PAR TOVT / LE MONDE DE PAR / LE PAPE LA PAPESSE / L ANPEREVR L INPERATR / YCE LE SOLEIL
2 of Cups: LA LUNE LES ETOILLES / LA FOVDRE PRINS / A FORCE QVY SOIT / PENDV E TRANNAY / AV DIABLE
The stick of MA (the fool) is ended by the fool’s marotte.
The raised hand of I – BAGA (the Magician) seems to be a second left hand.
IVSTICE is numbered VII which makes PRINS (The Chariot) number VIII
Trump card XIII is named LAMORT, and has hair.
LA FOULDRE (the Tower) depicts a shepherd and his cheap
LES ETOILLES an astronomer,
LA LUNE, a woman spinning thread,
LE SOLEIL, a child on a horse.
Jacques Viéville, card maker in Paris.
Jacques Viéville was a Parisian card maker active during the mid-XVIIth century. Various official documents recorded his name and profession in 1643, 1648 and 1664.
His name abbreviated name, IAQVES VIEVIL is on the 2 of Coins.
J C Boden (verified owner) –
How I love my Jaques Vievil handpainted Tarot! In the two weeks it has been in my life it has already enriched my life in very many ways. It feels a deck I long to cherish and cradle affectionately. Sullivan has approached this restoration with great sensitivity creating an intimacy which the reader can pick up on and share. I also feel this is the perfect Tarot to showcase, not only the restoration skill with which Sullivan approaches his work, but also his great skill as an artist in his own right. Truly delighted once again! Thank you.