Ducale - Jeu de Tarot (Tarot Bourgeois)

7/25/2026

Ducale - Jeu de Tarot (Tarot Bourgeois)

Tarot (or Tarocchi) is a trick-taking game played with a dedicated 78-card deck. Originating in 15th-century Italy, it was not until the 18th century that these cards became primarily associated with occultism and divination. While earlier esoteric uses are documented, they remained exceptional, and these sets served a chiefly ludic purpose. Over time, this long trajectory fostered a gradual evolution in imagery and design, continuously adapting to the evolving preferences of both players and occultists alike.

By the late 19th century, esoteric practices surrounding the deck were firmly established; however, a parallel audience retained it for its original recreational purpose. Contemporary gameplay trends demanded a complete overhaul to make gameplay faster and more streamlined. This paved the way for a new pattern known as the Tarot Bourgeois—released in 1860 by German card maker C.L. Wurst and quickly adopted across Europe, especially in France.

⬥ ⬥ ⬥

To illustrate this pattern, this review examines the Jeu de Tarot deck by French manufacturer Ducale. Much like the Anglo-American pattern found in standard poker sets, the Tarot Bourgeois has reached a high degree of standardization—yielding a "seen one, seen them all" impression—though subtle variations exist across different makers.

As expected, the deck retains its basic 78-card architecture, split into two main sections:

22 trumps, including a special card known as L'Excuse.
56 cards spread across four suits, each with ten pip cards, followed by four court cards: Valet, Cavalier, Dame, and Roi.

Beyond this structural blueprint, any resemblance to traditional Tarot decks disappears, and the visual identity changes entirely.

Historically, Tarot decks featured Latin suits—Batons, Cups, Swords, and Coins. The Tarot Bourgeois, however, bears the French suit system: spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Their strong visual and chromatic contrast inherently boosts playability. Furthermore, the trumps underwent a radical revamp: traditional motifs of death and the devil gave way to bucolic scenes and leisure pursuits of the 19th-century bourgeoisie (save for L'Excuse, depicted as a jester), imbuing the pack with a neutral, almost sterile tone. Also, these cards introduced large Arabic numerals in all four corners, offering at-a-glance legibility that far surpasses the erratic placement of Roman numerals in earlier decks.

Another notable feature is the reversible design of both courts and trumps, which use mirrored or equivalent imagery to ensure instant recognition without flipping cards during play. This functional choice brings an additional consequence—whether intentional or not—of rendering the cards impractical for cartomancy, where readings rely on cards being upright or reversed. Yet this pragmatic approach does not compromise aesthetics, keeping the detailed trump scenes engaging and genuinely enjoyable to admire.

Turning to the Ducale deck at hand, it stands out as a benchmark of the French playing card industry. Its discreetly satin, near-matte finish, coupled with the stock’s thickness and snap, delivers a tactile and visual experience on par with names like Fournier or Bicycle. I must stress, however, that this is no display piece, but a tool built to endure hours on the felt.

⬥ ⬥ ⬥

In conclusion, the Tarot Bourgeois stands as testament to a paradigm shift, marking the moment card makers turned away from an allegorical past to embrace a utilitarian present. Despite its apparent thematic simplicity compared to the great classics, it harbors a functional sophistication that remains relevant today. It is a deck built to be played, admired, and, above all, savored for its slice of design history in every trick.

In the next entry, we will pivot entirely to examine a deck built from the ground up solely for cartomancy—a pack that might sound vaguely familiar to some: the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot.