c.1838-50 Grand Etteilla Tarot Egyptien, early Lismon
Published by Simon Bloquel, France, c.1838-1850
Free Shipping Worldwide
Deck: Grand Etteilla Type II, early Lismon
Description: Rare early grand Etteilla Egyptian tarot, exact age unknown.
Rare early Grand Etteilla Egyptian tarot, exact age unknown. In 1838 Simon Blocquel published a new version of Etteilla’s deck, with the title 'Grand livre de Thot.' Blocquel habitually used anagrammatic synonyms such as Blismon, Z. Lismon, Zlismon. This new version by Blocquel is widely known as the Lismon Etteilla. The earliest editions of the Lismon Etteillas did not have the iconic blue borders that so many have come to identify with the Grand Etteilla Type II style.
The first edition of Bloquel's Etteilla Type II decks had blank paper versos/backs, likely because they were issued as a book (see BnF ark:/12148/btv1b105274748 and ark:/12148/cb444135977; Christie's 2006 Kaplan Catalogue lot 61). Later early editions of the Lismon Etteilla often (or perhaps always) have blue paper versos/backs. The deck for sale here is very worn and soiled, so the colours are faded, as are the blue versos/backs. This edition can be dated to sometime after 1838, when the first edition was issued and before the iconic blue borders were introduced in c.1850.
References:
Choma, John, Personal Correspondence, July 30 2021; BnF ark:/12148/btv1b105274748; BnF ark:/12148/cb444135977; Kaplan 2006, 4740232.
Deck Identifiers:
- Style: Grand Etteilla II Tarots Egyptiens
- Titles: French
- Borders: single black-line (no double blue-border)
- Paper: thick pasteboard card-stock
- Color: painted stencils
- Versos/Backs: solid blue
CONDITION: fair condition, with 77 of 78 cards; all cards have signs of heavy use, including soiling with signs of discolouration and patina, as well as faded spots on the front and back of cards, along with stains and chips with some lacks; the deck is curved and hand-trimmed; with a slight musty odour (see photographs for more details).
Card Measurements: 11.4 cm X 6.1 cm