Belgian Tarot

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The Belgian Tarot is a standard pattern of Tarot cards made in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, later Rouen, and finally the Austrian Netherlands, from the late 1600s to the late 1700s. It is also called the Rouen/Brussels pattern. In the mid-1700s the wrapping paper often read “Cartes de Suisses,” but there is no solid evidence that these cards were made, sold, or used in Switzerland.

Tarot cards started in northern Italy in the early 1400s, with packs from cities like Milan, Ferrara, Florence, and Bologna. They added a set of trumps called trionfi to a four-suited deck (Swords, Batons, Cups, Coins). The oldest surviving decks are the Visconti-Sforza cards made for the Dukes of Milan in the mid-15th century. Early cards were hand-painted and rare; after the printing press, mass production spread the cards and the idea to France and Switzerland during the Italian Wars.

The Tarot of Marseilles became a common version in France and Switzerland. A story that late-16th-century French taxes pushed cardmakers to move to Switzerland and create Cartes de Suisses isn’t supported by evidence. In Switzerland, cardmaking declined in the early 17th century, and Swiss cards were imported from Épinal and Lyon. The Cartes de Suisses pattern blends Italian design with French details and is linked to a Paris pack by Jacques Viéville around 1650. Gérard Bodet of Liège began making the pattern in 1693, and around 1723 Adam C. de Houtot of Rouen labeled the Fool as XXII.

The design spread to the Austrian Netherlands, possibly through the Swiss-style game Troggu that reached the area in the 18th century. Swiss mercenaries in Dutch service there helped make the pattern standard, which kept the name Cartes de Suisses. A catalog from 1849 even lists “Swiss Tarots, Cartes de Suisses” made in Brussels by F. J. Vandenborre, describing a 78-card deck with various illustrated cards.

The term Flemish Tarot is a misnomer: these cards were made in Brussels, Bouvignes, Liège, and Dinant, not in Flanders. The Belgian Tarot differs from the Tarot de Marseille, with many trump designs that look different. For example, the Star shows a seated astronomer instead of a kneeling woman. The 22 trump cards of this Belgian pattern have their own distinctive style.