Anyone who decides to study the tarot soon faces a choice: which deck to use? The options are countless, but almost all descend from two great families. On one side the Marseille tarots, heirs to a tradition of popular printing; on the other the Rider-Waite-Smith, born in the milieu of English occultism at the start of the twentieth century. Knowing the differences helps one choose with awareness and read any other deck better.
Two different histories
The Marseille tarot
The name "Marseille tarot" refers not to a single deck but to an iconographic pattern widespread in France and Switzerland between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, printed from woodblocks and coloured with stencils. One of the best-known examples is that of Nicolas Conver, dated 1760, which in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries became a reference for many readers. The name "Marseille" became established later, because several card makers worked in that city.
These decks were made for play. Divinatory and symbolic use came afterwards, but the simple and intense iconography lent itself well to meditation.
The Rider-Waite-Smith
The Rider-Waite-Smith was published in London in 1909 by the publisher Rider. It was conceived by Arthur Edward Waite, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and illustrated by the artist Pamela Colman Smith. For a long time it was simply called the "Rider-Waite", but today the decisive role of the illustrator is increasingly recognised, and the full name has come into common use.
It was designed from the outset as an esoteric and divinatory tool, with a precise system of symbolic correspondences.
The main differences
| Aspect | Marseille | Rider-Waite-Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Popular printing tradition for play | English esoteric project |
| Pip cards | Only symbols arranged decoratively | Illustrated scenes on every card |
| Order of VIII and XI | Justice VIII, Strength XI | Strength VIII, Justice XI |
| Name of arcanum XIII | Usually nameless | "Death" |
| Graphic style | Essential lines, few flat colours | Narrative drawing, many details |
| Reading approach | Observation, number, combinations | Scenes, symbols, correspondences |
The pip cards
This is the most noticeable difference. In the Marseille the Three of Swords simply shows three swords arranged in an ornamental pattern; in the Rider-Waite-Smith the same Three shows a heart pierced by three blades in the rain. The first card asks the reader to build the meaning; the second suggests it explicitly.
Added symbolism
Many elements absent from the Marseille appear in the Rider-Waite-Smith: the pillars beside the High Priestess, the lemniscate above the Magician, the sphinx on the Wheel, the sunflowers in the Sun. These symbols are drawn from astrology, Kabbalah and alchemy, consistent with the Golden Dawn system. The Marseille, by contrast, has a barer symbolism, but for that very reason one more open to interpretation.
How to choose
There is no absolutely best deck. There are decks better suited to certain people and certain moments. Some practical pointers:
- If you are starting out and want visual help, the Rider-Waite-Smith and the many decks derived from it offer easily readable scenes.
- If you love observation and numerology, the Marseille invites a more meditative and combinatory approach.
- If you want to study the history of the tarot, it is worth knowing both, because most modern decks derive from one or the other.
- If a deck does not "speak" to you, that is not a failure: it is a sign. It is worth looking at the images at length before deciding.
An exercise in comparison
An effective way to grasp the differences is to take the same card in both decks and compare them in silence. Note three words for the Marseille version and three for the Waite-Smith one. Then ask yourself: what do I see in one that I do not see in the other? Repeated with a few cards, the exercise shows how the deck shapes the gaze, and how each tradition has its strengths.
Over time many readers end up using both decks depending on the question: one for more narrative readings, the other for more contemplative ones. The Studio Esoterico Cornelio encourages exactly this familiarity with several traditions, because each sheds light on different aspects of the same symbolic language.
In short
- Most modern decks descend from the Marseille pattern or from the Rider-Waite-Smith.
- The Marseille is a French iconographic pattern made for play; the Rider-Waite-Smith an esoteric project published in London in 1909.
- The most visible difference concerns the pip cards: ornamental symbols versus illustrated scenes.
- The order of Strength and Justice and many symbolic details also change.
- The choice depends on reading style: comparing the same cards in the two decks helps decide.
