Solar
  130mm (5.25") high x 130mm (5.25") wide
 

Card 19 of the Major Arcana of the Tarot shows the beneficent Sun shining upon two lovers as they meet. 'Journey's end in Lover's meeting': when all obstacles have been overcome the man (the Spirit) and woman (the Body ) can unite and progress towards a discovery of the true Self -represented, naturally enough as the fruit of this union: a child on card 20 ('The Last Judgment'). In divination this card represents Happiness, Salvation, Marriage.

The unrecorded early history of the Tarot is obscurity itself and normally talked of with a considerable helping of waffle : possibly it originated in the Ancient Egyptian Mystery schools from whence the word 'Tarot' derives ('Tar': path, 'Ro': Royal - or alternatively the Egyptian Taruth: 'the One who is consulted', the Hebrew Torah: 'the Law' or the Zend Tarisk: 'I demand the answer'). Forms of Divinatory cards are also found in India and China - and the transmission and combination of various schools possibly followed ancient trade routes and the migration of the Gypsies, with whom the Tarot latterly became strongly associated.

The early combinations of the various pictographic cards varied widely in early versions but by the mid 14^th. century had settled into 22 Cards of the 'Major Arcana' (the pictographic mystery cards) and 56 Cards of the Minor Arcana (the origin of modern Playing cards, the suits here being Swords, Wands, Cups and Coins).

Tarot Card divination is not to be trusted - we recommend Palmistry as a more accurate way of deciding the future course of your life (see The Palmistry Hand Kit).

The Sun or 'Solar' face here is based on a woodcut of the early 18^th. century.

 

These castings are designed, sculpted and manufactured in England, using resin-bonded marble, bronze and Cotswold stone. Modern moulding techniques faithfully reproduce the intricate and painstaking work of the sculptor whilst giving the appearance of real carved stone or sculpted terracotta. The resin sculptures are weatherproof, the plaques having a hole drilled in the back for easy hanging