Glossary
Master Card Makers
Craftsmen specialized in the manufacture and engraving of playing cards, responsible for the historical production of tarot decks.
Master card makers were craftsmen organized into guilds in several European cities, notably in France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. They designed, engraved, and printed the decks of cards.
The earliest known tarot decks were produced by these craftsmen between the 15th and the 18th centuries. Figures such as Jean Noblet, Jean Dodal, Nicolas Conver, or Claude Burdel are important examples.
The study of master card makers makes it possible to understand the evolution of tarot images, the circulation of iconographic models, and the material history of these decks before their modern esoteric reinterpretation.