Bosch Tarot - medieval surrealism as a psychological tool
Not every tarot deck is easy to read. The Bosch Tarot, illustrated by A. Atanassov and published by Lo Scarabeo, draws its imagery from the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. That means monsters with multiple heads, hybrid creatures, grotesque scenes where sin and salvation blur together.
The structure follows a traditional 78-card tarot, but the imagery deviates far from what you see in a Rider-Waite or Marseille deck. Where other decks work with recognizable archetypes, this one forces you to think associatively.
What you see on the cards
Atanassov translated fragments from Bosch's paintings such as 'The Garden of Earthly Delights' and 'The Last Judgment' into the 78 cards. The colors are intense, the details numerous. Each scene is filled with symbolic references to the late Middle Ages: the fear of hell, human folly, the tension between earthly pleasure and spiritual aspiration.
The cards do not follow RWS scenes. Instead you see visions that you have to interpret yourself. That makes the deck suitable for work where you want to bypass rational thinking patterns.
How you work with it
This is not a beginner deck. The imagery is too complex and too different from standard tarot symbolism to read without prior knowledge. But if you already have some experience with tarot and are open to psychological readings or shadow work, the surreal scenes offer just enough resistance to activate your intuition.
Many readers use this deck specifically for questions where the answer does not lie on the surface. The grotesque images break through defensive mechanisms and force you to look deeper.
Pull one card and observe what stands out first. Not the whole, but one detail. That detail is often the key to the meaning.
About A. Atanassov
A. Atanassov specializes in translating classical art styles into tarot cards. For this deck he reproduced Bosch's style with attention to detail and symbolic depth. The atmosphere of the original paintings remains intact.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78 (Major and Minor Arcana)
- Size: 66 x 120 mm
- Weight: 240 g
- Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
- Language: multilingual (English, Italian, French, German, Spanish)
- ISBN: 9780738700120
- Illustrator: A. Atanassov
- Card quality: sturdy, shuffles smoothly
Questions we often get
Does this deck follow Rider-Waite symbolism?
No. The structure of 78 cards is traditional, but the imagery is entirely based on Hieronymus Bosch's paintings. You cannot read the cards like an RWS deck.
In which languages is the guidebook available?
The guidebook is multilingual: English, Italian, French, German and Spanish. Each language has its own section in the booklet.
