Tarot of Andrea Picini
This deck description was kindly contributed by the author. As it was very detailed, I felt that it was more appropriate that it had its own page. Feel free to E-mail him.
This deck comes in a carved box with an accompanying book. The book is
written in Italian, English, French, and German, and provides a quick history
of the tarot. The cards of the major arcana are described in great detail
with correspondences relating to the signs of the zodiac, the planets of the
solar system, the primary elements, gemstones, and plants. These
correspondences are offered as preferential indications and not as
conditioned or determined ones.
The cards themselves are about 3"x 5" on coated stock and are easy to handle.
Bordered by a red frame, each card bears a Roman numerial centered at the
top with the card's name or suit name written in Italian at the bottom. The
cards are vibrantly colored in rich hues of blue, red, and green. The
figures in the deck are anthropormorphic but are without specific
characteristics. Only from the outlines of their forms can they be
individuated as Picini has created a deck in which gender is fluid. His
stated intention is to have a deck which is acessible to each of what he
calles the "four sexes of humanity"--male, female, homosexual, and
transexual.
These cards are not a reworking of the Rider-Waite images. For example, the
Magician appears as a silhoutte of a naked woman, a red robe around her
shoulders. While female, she is said to be "bisexual, capable of all
transformations". On the table before her are the emblems of the four suits
of the minor arcana, but with the wands signified by a small androgynous
figure placed directly in front of the Magician's pelvic area. Picini places
the Magician under Mercury's influence. In depicting Temperance, Picini has
discarded the traditional iconography as he believes Temperance is the
measure by which one should enjoy the pleasures of life. In the center of
the card, ensared in a core of quartz, a naked woman who represents
sensuality rests against a wall of mirrors that reflects all her choices.
Using this deck awakens one to the fluidity and multivalence of symbols. The
deck is good for showing the shadow side of the card's traditional
interpretation, which is more than simply its reversal. Because of the
subtle gradation in color, hidden images appear on close inspection. There
are also optical illusions which work well with the cards. This deck is good
for both readings and meditative/ritual work.
Original article written by 
Bonne.
This article was rewritten by Lysander .