The Different Artistic Representations of the Empress Card
August 27, 2022
The first tarot cards were hand-painted and put to print using wood blocks in the middle of the 15th century. New decks were few and far between from the 15th to the 20th century. Even with the printing of the most popular and best-known Rider Waite deck in 1909, tarot decks did not start to be printed in large numbers until the later part of the 20th century. By the start of the 21st century, deck printing rapidly expanded. If you do a current search on Amazon or eBay for “tarot cards”, you will get results well over 5,000 on Amazon and over 10,000 on eBay. More and more new decks come out every month. This article will look at the various artistic representations for the Empress card over the history of the tarot.
15th to 20th Century
Tarot decks never really received any form of true mass production until the very last twenty years of the 20th century (1980 to 2000). And the real expansion in the number of decks did not ramp up until the very last ten years of the 20th century (1990 to 2000).
This article is meant to be a visual feast of card examples, more than a history lesson. Changes in artistic style and printing show up clearly from one time period to another. The earliest decks were hand painted and printed using the woodblock technique to produce multiple copies.
Next after this publicity
1463 – the Visconti-Sforza
The Visconti-Sforza tarot is the name assigned to roughly 15 decks printed in the middle of the 15th century. No complete deck exits, but examples from the different decks can be found in various museums, libraries, and private collections around the world.
1751 – The Marseille Tarot
The Empress appears seated, with a shield and staff, indicating her authority, and the power she has to make decisions concerning her subjects.
1909 – Rider Waite Tarot
In 1909, we get the first modern printing deck, with much more vibrant colors and a simpler artistic technique. In this version of the Rider Waite Tarot, the character is seated, holding a scepter; her shield is on the ground beside her, shaped like a heart. She is out in nature, where life is abundant. The forest is healthy, with a stream and waterfall running behind her. Rich fields of wheat are in the foreground.
Next after this publicity
1969 – Thoth Tarot
The deck was developed between 1938 and 1943, but did not get published until 1969, after the creator, Aleister Crowley, and artist, Freida Harris had both died. Crowley and Harris added a great deal more symbolism to the card, especially Egyptian iconography.
1986 – The Mythic Tarot
Based on Greek mythology, this version of the Empress is represented by Demeter, the Goddess of the Earth and harvest. She wears a city as her crown and walks through fields of wheat.
1990 – Haindl Tarot
One of the first decks to introduce a truly modern art style, as well as three additional icons from three other systems of thought and divination: Hebrew letters (upper left corner), runes (upper right corner), and astrology (bottom right corner). Hexagrams from the I-Ching appear on other cards in the deck.
Next after this publicity
1995 – Osho Zen
This deck keeps the 78-card structure, but renames nearly all the Major Arcana cards. In this rendition, the Empress becomes Creativity. She wears a crown of stars and blends with the natural world, connecting with the sky, land, and waters.
1998 – Crow’s Magick
This deck clearly shows the influence of computer design to enhance the artwork, and this represents one of the early decks to break with the traditional image of a woman as the Empress.
2016 – Linestrider Tarot
Using a watercolor and impressionistic art style, the Empress is shown getting dressed and wearing a crown; a tiger and lemur share the card with her.
2017 – Ostara Tarot
And finally, a blend of hand-drawn artwork enhanced by computer design, featuring a young woman holding a flower, ready to be planted. She has a bird in a nest resting on her head. Stalks of wheat frame her in the card.
From There to Here
Just a final look comparing the earliest cards with one of the most current.
I am a spiritual adviser based in Cumming, Georgia, serving clients both locally and worldwide. With a background in academics and a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I bring a unique blend of knowledge and intuition to my practice. After a fulfilling career in academia, I transitioned into the role of a stay-at-home father in 2007. In 2013, I established Black Unykorn Enterprises, LLC, offering spiritual guidance and support to individuals seeking insight and clarity on their life's journey. My services encompass various tools, including astrology, tarot/oracle cards, numerology, and past life regression utilizing muscle testing. I am dedicated to providing personalized sessions that empower and guide my clients towards their highest potential.
Conveniently equipped with a home office and utilizing platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp, I offer virtual sessions for local clients and for those around the world. Distance is not a barrier to the transformative experiences and guidance I provide. To learn more about my practice and explore how I can assist you on your spiritual path, I invite you to visit my website at https://www.blackunykorn.com. There, you will find detailed information about my services and a contact form to initiate a conversation.
By clicking "Allow All" you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Notice
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
__cfduid
1 year
Used by the content network, Cloudflare, to identify trusted web traffic.
_ga
2 years
This cookie is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is included in each page request in a site and used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the sites analytics reports (Google analytics)
_gat_UA-#
1m
Used to throttle request rate
_gid
1 day
It appears to store and update a unique value for each page visited. (Google analytics)
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_icl_current_language
1 day
Stores the current language
_leadup_js_detail_storage
Session
used to store timezone and locale information from client device.
catAccCookies
1 year
cookie consent plugin to record that you accept the fact that the site uses cookies
PHPSESSID
Session
used to store and identify a users” unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
store_notice[notice id]
Session
Allows customers to dismiss the Store Notice.
wc_cart_created
Session
Necessary for the shopping cart functionality on the website.
wc_cart_hash_#
Persistent
Helps WooCommerce determine when cart contents/data changes.
wc_fragments_#
Session
Necessary for the shopping cart functionality on the website.
wfwaf-authcookie-#
30 minutes
Identification of the visitor by a security plugin to prevent attacks on the web.
woocommerce_cart_hash
Session
Helps WooCommerce determine when cart contents/data changes.
woocommerce_items_in_cart
Session
Helps WooCommerce determine when cart contents/data changes.
woocommerce_recently_viewed
Session
Powers the Recent Viewed Products widget.
wordpress_logged_in_#
Session
After login, wordpress sets this cookie, which indicates when you’re logged in, and who you are, for most interface use.
wordpress_sec_#
14 days
This cookie is used to store your authentication details
wordpressuser_#
1 hour
This cookie is used to store your authentication details
wp_woocommerce_session_#
2 days
Contains a unique code for each customer so that it knows where to find the cart data in the database for each customer.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.