Grand Etteilla Tarot - 18th-century French occult system
Most tarot cards in circulation today trace back to the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition of 1909. The Grand Etteilla goes further. This deck originates from the 18th century and was designed by Jean-Baptiste Alliette, a French occultist who worked under the name Etteilla. He was among the first to publish tarot as a serious divination system, complete with meanings for both upright and reversed cards.
The edition offered here is a reproduction by Grimaud, a French publisher with a long history in classic tarot printing. The illustrations carry the style of 18th-century French occultism: no soft watercolours, but compact imagery with text printed directly on the cards.
What sets this deck apart from standard tarot
Alliette substantially revised the structure of the Major Arcana. The numbering differs from conventional sequences, the names of the trumps are changed, and the whole system is built around a cosmological framework he developed himself. He connected each card to astrological and alchemical correspondences, and documented his ideas in published guidebooks.
French keywords appear along the edges of the cards, for both upright and reversed positions. This is not a decorative choice: in the Etteilla system, those words are a core part of any reading. Anyone who wants to work with the cards properly will need to read them.
What you hold in your hand
The cards measure 140 x 70 mm, a narrow and elongated format that shuffles comfortably. The card stock is sturdy, the finish durable. The illustrations stay true to the classical French esoteric style: detailed, historical in character, without modernisation.
All text on the cards is in French. That is part of what makes this edition authentic, but it does mean some familiarity with the French keyword system is useful for working with it in depth.
Pay attention to the keywords along the edges when reading. In the Etteilla system, those words guide interpretation, particularly for reversed cards.
About Jean-Baptiste Alliette
Jean-Baptiste Alliette (1738-1791) worked in Paris as a hairdresser and later as an occult writer. He was among the first to publish systematic instructions for reading tarot cards, giving the practice an esoteric foundation separate from card gaming. His pen name, Etteilla, is his surname spelled backwards, and it became his mark in the occult circles of his time.
His influence on modern tarot is considerable, even though most contemporary readers work with later systems. The Grand Etteilla remains a primary source for anyone studying the historical development of tarot as a divination system.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78
- Language: French
- Publisher: Grimaud
- Dimensions: 140 x 70 mm
- Finish: sturdy card stock, durable finish
Questions we often get
Does the numbering really differ that much from a standard tarot?
Yes. Alliette completely restructured the Major Arcana based on his own cosmological system. The sequence, the names and the correspondences of the trumps differ from both the Marseille tradition and the Rider-Waite-Smith system. Anyone used to either of those traditions will be working with a different logic here.
Does this deck come with a guidebook?
The available information does not mention an included guidebook. The keywords are printed on the cards themselves, in French. Anyone wishing to study the Etteilla system in depth will benefit from additional literature on his method.
