The Magician in 7 decks
The same card as 7 decks draw it, five and a half centuries apart. What stays the same is the card’s core; what changes is where a reading can find something new. The meanings are written for the Rider–Waite–Smith picture; the descriptions here are of each deck’s own.
Side by side
Choose any two decks and read the pictures against each other.
Pamela Colman Smith, 1909
A figure in a white robe and red cloak stands at a table on which lie a cup, a sword, a staff and a pentacle, one hand raising a wand to the sky and the other pointing to the earth. A lemniscate hovers over the head and a snake-belt circles the waist. Roses and lilies grow above and below.
Lequart, Paris, 19th century
Under the number I, a young man with yellow curls and a broad yellow and red hat stands behind a grey-topped table, holding a small wand up in one hand and a little ball in the other. Cups, balls, a knife, a curved blade and a red bag lie on the table. A small plant grows between its legs. Titled LE BATELEUR.
Rider–Waite–Smith
Pamela Colman Smith, 1909
A figure in a white robe and red cloak stands at a table on which lie a cup, a sword, a staff and a pentacle, one hand raising a wand to the sky and the other pointing to the earth. A lemniscate hovers over the head and a snake-belt circles the waist. Roses and lilies grow above and below.
Tarot de Marseille
Lequart, Paris, 19th century
Under the number I, a young man with yellow curls and a broad yellow and red hat stands behind a grey-topped table, holding a small wand up in one hand and a little ball in the other. Cups, balls, a knife, a curved blade and a red bag lie on the table. A small plant grows between its legs. Titled LE BATELEUR.
Tarot de Viéville
Jacques Viéville, c. 1650
A young man in a broad-brimmed hat with a red crown stands behind a grey-topped table, raising a small wand in his right hand. The table holds cups, dice, a stack of coins and other small objects, and grassy hillocks lie beneath. No number is visible at the top.
Visconti-Sforza
Bonifacio Bembo, c. 1450
A bearded man in a red robe and a broad red, white and green hat sits on a painted chest behind a yellow trestle table. On the table lie a cup, a knife, small round objects and a white heap that his left hand rests on; his right hand holds a slender rod. The ground behind is tooled gold over a green floor.
In the Visconti-Sforza deck the number cards show only their suit symbols, and the trumps are unnamed and unnumbered.
Sola Busca
c. 1491
A young man seen from behind strides along in a green tunic with a frilled hem, a red cap with long ribbons on his head and a tall oval shield at his side. Lettering at the top reads PANFIL and IO either side of his cap, and the numeral I sits at the left. A curved blade hangs below his belt.
Sola Busca trumps are named figures matched to the standard trumps by number only.
Oswald Wirth
Oswald Wirth, 1889
A fair-haired young man in a red and blue doublet stands behind a pale wooden table, raising a wand tipped with a blue knob. On the table lie coins, a sword and a gold cup, and a red flower grows at his feet. His wide hat curves into a figure-of-eight brim. Below are the number 1, the title LE BATELEUR and the Hebrew letter aleph.
Soimoi
Mike Koz, 2025
A man in a dark kimono raises a glowing wand in a night garden, his other hand reaching over a low wooden table. Ribbons of light carry a sword, a dagger, a cup and two coins, and a coin glows on the table beside a stick and a knife. A pale smoke dragon coils above the city skyline; a stone cat figure and a lantern flank the table.