Tarot de Marselha Convos- Português

Tarot de Marselha Convos - classic Marseille with enhanced colour palette

The Marseille tarot exists in dozens of editions. This version returns to the design by Nicolas Conver from 1760, but lets the woodcuts speak in a fuller colour palette than the original.

Otto Spalinger recoloured the cards without adjusting the structure or symbolism. What you see is the same geometric composition, the same figures, the same lines. But where old reproductions often look faded, the arcana here gain warmth and visual energy.

What you see on the cards

All 78 cards follow the strict Marseille structure. The Major Arcana are numbered in Roman numerals, the Minor Arcana show patterns of cups, wands, swords and pentacles without narrative scenes. That does not make this an easy starter deck.

The strength lies in geometry and archetypes. Every card is built on balance: symmetry, direction, colour. Where Rider-Waite tells stories, Marseille forces you to look at form and structure.

The colours are primary: red, blue, yellow, green. Spalinger made them brighter than in many other reproductions, which makes the cards feel less historical and more immediate.

How you work with it

This deck asks for a different way of reading. No scenes you can interpret directly, but symbols you learn to recognise. The direction of a figure, the position of an object, the number of elements: those are your clues.

Many readers use this deck for structural spreads. The geometry supports patterns like the Celtic cross or the tree of life. Others appreciate precisely the absence of modern occult layers: what you see is what the card says.

With the Minor Arcana, pay attention to the direction of the symbols and their relationships to each other. That often gives more information than the card on its own.

About Nicolas Conver and Otto Spalinger

Nicolas Conver was a cardmaker in Marseille. His 1760 edition became a standard for the Marseille tradition and is still copied and studied today.

Otto Spalinger works as an artist and card designer. For this edition he recoloured Conver's woodcuts with respect for the historical structure, but with a contemporary sense of colour.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 78 (22 Major Arcana, 56 Minor Arcana)
• Language: Portuguese (guidebook and card names)
• ISBN: 9783905219739
• Tradition: Marseille tarot based on Nicolas Conver (1760)
• Illustrator: Otto Spalinger
• Style: Woodcut iconography with enhanced colour palette

Questions we often get

Does this deck differ from a standard Marseille reproduction?
Yes, in colour use. The composition and symbolism are identical to Conver's original, but the colours are fuller and warmer. That makes the cards visually more direct.

Can I use this deck if I only know Rider-Waite?
You can, but expect a learning curve. The Minor Arcana contain no narrative scenes. You read based on symbolism, number and direction, not on a depicted story.