Review: The Lost Tarot by Hans Bauer

I’ve been collecting Tarot decks for about thirty years – I’ve probably given away more sets of Tarot cards than most people own in a lifetime – and every once in a while I run across one that really makes me stop and say, “Wow. This is COOL.” Hans Bauer’s Lost Tarot is one of those decks.

The Back Story

One of the things that intrigued me about The Lost Tarot from the get-go was the backstory. Think of this as a concept deck – Bauer has created not only a collection of lovely Major Arcana cards (more on those in a moment) but also crafted a clever origin story that makes them all the more intriguing.

The story is a simple yet plausible one. In the Lost Tarot’s mythology, the deck is the creation of one William Bradford, an English wool merchant. During his travels, Bradford had a chance encounter with someone you may have heard of – an inventor named Leonardo da Vinci.

Bradford’s last will and testament, dated 1555 and conveniently included with the limited edition deck, explains,

“I chanced to encounter the esteemed Florentine Leonardo da Vinci, a polymath of extraordinary vision: painter, sculptor, architect, and anatomist, prone to uncanny technological design and invention; wings for flying, a mechanical knight, a steam cannon, and shoes for walking on water.”

Bradford purchased from Leonardo a design for an optical device, which led to the invention of the first known photographs. These photos, produced by da Vinci’s optical device, came to be used as Bradford’s Tarot deck, an eight-year-long project which he dubbed the Nottingham Tarot.

Bradford’s testament continues,

“During the great epidemic of the sweating sickness in 1528 I hid the opus, leaving instructions with my eldest, Merek, and with my solicitor, in the event of my death. They, however, God rest their souls, preceded me in their ascent to holy heaven.”

Thus, the deck vanished, but in 1994 it was rediscovered, buried in a cache near Nottingham, and with the use of modern digital processes, it was restored.

The Cards of the Lost Tarot

The Lost Tarot contains only the 22 cards of the Major Arcana, as well as the four Aces from the different suits. Despite the fact that it isn’t a full deck, the Majors are enough to give you a solid and simple reading. While you won’t get the full nuance and complexities that you might achieve with the standard 78 cards, you can certainly get by with what The Lost Tarot offers.

The cards in The Lost Tarot are, as mentioned, purported to be the brainchild of a sixteenth-century wool merchant, with images photographed using an invention of Leonardo da Vinci’s. As such, there’s a very specific look and feel to the cards. If we go with the theory that William Bradford crafted these images some time before he wrote his will in 1555, we would expect to see a certain stylized look reflecting the sixteenth-century, and that’s exactly what Hans Bauer has give us.

Some of the cards consist of single posed photos. For instance, the Empress features a mother smiling down at her child, in a field representing the abundance of the harvest, and I absolutely love the simple elegance of the card. The Wheel of Fortune is a miller’s wheel turning lazily through the water. The Hermit – another of my favorites – is the old, wise man with a lantern, emerging from the woods. Other cards are collages of varied elements; the Moon contains wolves and a castle keep superimposed over the cliffs, while the World portrays a woman dancing through a ring of flowers, surrounded by an ox, an eagle, a lion, and a rabbit.

The Ace cards are a little more similar to your standard Tarot themes and formatting, simply an outstretched hand holding a large coin, a cup of water, a sword ringed by a crown, or a wand piercing an autumn leaf. One thing I noticed right off the bat, though, is that even the cards that appear simple really aren’t; the artwork is lavish and lush, and there are lots of tiny details that can be overlooked easily if you’re not paying attention.

The Little White Book

Generally, I have a tendency to lose track of all of the LWBs I’ve accumulated over the years, because I read more intuitively than by the Official Book Meanings. The Lost Tarot’s little white book and companion guide, written by Carly Fischer, does a good job of summarizing each card and its meanings, particularly in the context of Bauer’s original artwork. I especially dig that Fischer didn’t just parrot back your basic Tarot meanings; instead she took the time to frame the symbolism within The Lost Tarot’s history and style.

Reading with the Lost Tarot

It’s tricky to get a solid reading when you’ve only got 28 cards, I’ll be the first to admit it – it’s why most Tarot readers use the full 78. However, The Lost Tarot is a Majors-only deck, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

I kept my question simple, because I was working with a limited number of cards, but it was the sort of query that could easily be addressed by the Majors and the Aces. Surprisingly (or maybe not), the cards I drew and laid out made perfect sense in the context of my question. In particular, the Fortitude (VIII) card, which includes an image of a woman kissing a snarling wolf, popped out during my reading; this struck me as highly relevant, as wolf imagery has had some significance in my life lately. Everything else lined up in a way that seemed logical as well.

All in all, despite the limited quantity of cards in The Lost Tarot, if you’re a competent reader, you shouldn’t have any problem finding this deck readable.

The Bottom Line

The Lost Tarot is definitely what I’d consider an “art deck.” It would look great as a collectible or conversation piece because Hans Bauer has crafted some incredibly lovely imagery with a unique style… but it’s so much more than that. It’s also highly readable, which for me is the litmus test of whether or not I will use a deck more than once.

I don’t know that it’s something I’d recommend for those who are still learning Tarot, unless, as I said, you just really love the artwork – but if you’re a reasonably savvy reader who understands the basics of intuitive reading, you’ll be able to get a lot out of The Lost Tarot. It’s a beautiful deck, feels good in your hands, and the imagery is inviting and stylish.

I totally give The Lost Tarot 9/10 broomsticks!

Order the Lost Tarot

Want to get your hands on your own Lost Tarot deck? It’s limited edition, but you can order one directly from Hans Bauer here: Buy the Lost Tarot

Disclaimer
I received a promotional copy of The Lost Tarot in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own, and are not influenced by the artist or publisher in any way.