78 cards in a high-quality, custom-made flip-top box with a ribbon inside for safely lifting and removing the cards. Along with the deck and box, the set also includes:
- a signed and numbered card indicating that this copy is 75/200 from the first edition
- a beautiful, handmade accordion-style folding booklet with more information about the deck and cards
- a card with verses of Matteo Boiardo on both sides
- a business card with a handwritten thank you note, signed by Steve Gammon
Also of note is a burgundy cardstock band wrapped around the deck, with the Jook Tarot seal stamped in gold wax.
The cards measure 12 cm tall x 7 cm wide. The card stock is thin and moderately flexible, with a smooth, mostly matte finish. I'm not sure how well this deck would stand up to routine shuffling; I advise exercising care when handling.
The card back design is fully reversible.
Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. The Fool is numbered 0.
Suits are Fear (
Swords), Jealousy (
Wands), Hope
(Coins), and Love (
Cups). The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King.
Each card (minors, courts, and majors) features a different black and white photo of silent film actress Theda Bara. In the background, the major arcana have text from PD Ouspensky's
Symbolism of the Tarot while the minor arcana contain verses from 15th century poet Matteo Boiardo (1441-1494).
As the artists note on the deck's website: "Boiardo wrote a three-line poem for each card, and these are shown in their entirety on each minor card in the deck."
Initially marketed via an unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign in 2018, the deck was eventually completed and sold via Jook Art's Etsy store. Buyers were given a choice of box colors and patterns; by the time I purchased my copy, the choices were very limited, but I absolutely LOVE the color I ended up with -- a sort of silvery-lilac with a lace-like pattern.
Jook Art is a father/daughter collaboration of Steve and Katie Gammon.