Le Tarot Belline

L'Expiation La Volonte La Science

The original Tarot Belline was hand drawn around 1863 by Jules Charles Ernest Billaudot (also known as Magus Edmond or Edmond Billaudot). The deck is named after Marcel Belline, who found and donated the original deck to the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions in Paris.

The deck is inspired by fictional gold plates described in Red Man of the Tuileries, a novel by Jean-Baptiste Pitois. The novel introduces the term "Arcana" for the cards. (Jean-Baptiste Pitois, also known as Jean-Baptiste and by his pen name Paul Christian, is known for The History and Practice of Magic, first published in 1870.)

The Tarot Belline blends characteristics of the Tarot de Marseille and the ideas of Jean-Baptiste Alliette (known as Etteilla), Jean-Baptiste Pitois, and other 18th and 19th century occultists. It is the first deck to incorporate Hebrew letters.

It was published in 1966 by Grimaud as "Le Grand Tarot Belline".

For more information, see the following articles.