The evolution of the 'mother' in tarot

Abstract

The article explores the portrayal of maternity in the first tarot decks which were beautifully hand-painted in the courts of Northern Italy in the fifteenth century. She argues that despite the absence of the image of the mother from the original decks at first glance, the mother has always been present in the tarot deck in some form. The manner in which the author demonstrates how the image of the mother has become explicit and integral in many New Age divinatory tarot decks is presented.