The Sola Busca Deck of the 15th Century — Stepping Stones to Rider-Waite-Smith

Discovering an Ancient Masterpiece

The Sola Busca deck is the earliest complete surviving 78-card tarot we know of. Created in the late 15th century by an artist still unidentified, this deck was engraved on metal with remarkable precision—vivid imagery surrounded by exact line work and subtle shading.

What makes the Sola Busca stand out is its pioneering characteristics. It is the earliest tarot deck in which all minor arcana cards are fully illustrated, and also the earliest deck in which the major arcana cards depart from classical tarot symbols. Unlike the earlier Visconti-Sforza decks, the Sola Busca cards are numbered—the major arcana bear Roman numerals, while the minor arcana carry Arabic numerals.

Structure and Content

The deck consists of 78 cards divided into 21 major arcana (trionfi), plus the Fool (Matte), and 56 minor arcana cards. What is particularly interesting is that the figures on the major arcana cards do not follow standard tarot tradition. Rather than generic symbols, these cards bear the names of famous historical and religious figures—from Nebuchadnezzar to Gaius Marius, the uncle of Julius Caesar.

The illustrated figures have loose connections to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, including deities from the Roman Pantheon such as Bacchus. Despite the differences in imagery, all of these figures can be readily linked to their equivalents in the standard tarot decks we know today.

Remaining Traces and Historical Journey

Only one hand-painted complete deck survives from that era. It is housed in the Brera Museum in Milan and can be traced back to the Busca-Serbelloni noble family. In the early 19th century, it was owned by the Marchioness Busca (born Duchess Serbelloni) of Milan.

Beyond this, 35 uncolored cards have been discovered in various museums—23 cards at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, 4 cards at the British Museum, and others in Hamburg and Paris.

Deep Influence on Modern Tarot

A pivotal moment occurred in 1907, when the Busca-Serbelloni family donated black and white photographs of all 78 cards to the British Museum. These photographs were subsequently seen by A.E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith—the two figures who created the Rider-Waite Tarot, the most profoundly influential tarot deck of the 20th century.

From 1948 onward, the Sola Busca deck was owned by the Sola-Busca family, from which it takes its current name. In 2009, the deck was purchased by Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage Protection for €800,000 and transferred to the Brera Museum.

Returning to our own contemplation: the Sola Busca reminds us that tarot is not a fixed set of absolute symbols, but rather a living, adaptable language—one drawn by artists and scholars according to their own vision. This deck is a bridge between ancient experiments and the decks we use for contemplation today.

Reference: Wikipedia — Sola Busca tarot