Old Tarot Card Treen Box XX

I found this recently, I think tribal art is the closest category I can get to tarot haha.

Its dimensions:
Length: 7cm
Width: 5cm
Height: 3.8cm

The size makes it too small for a traditional deck of cards but there are a lot of miniature decks out there so possibly tarot too.

My other thought is it could a simple matchstick box for a table. A table vesta. The image is handpainted, not printed.

I had a POW made smoking set that was fitted like this from 1945 but other than that I am unsure on dating this. I think key could be in when these wooden fittings that are inside to fit the lid were used.

Has anybody seen a similar box on their travels?

 

Very pretty, a charming box.
It seems that the twentieth card in the German Tarot is the devil, represented by a goat. So XX and a goat could mean a German origin. Maybe one of the other German-speaking regions, but the style of the painting looks German to me.
Age guesstimate late 19th?

Because Tarot is of non-tribal European origin?
There are claims that Tarot was based on Ancient Egyptian oracles or on the Kabbalah, both non-tribal, but those claims are unsubstantiated, and in no way relevant to tribal.

In short, you are likely to get more knowledgeable eyes on your Tarot box in a forum like 'Antiques', because surprisingly, people who look here are generally interested in tribal art.

 

I think your right about the tribal category. I was thinking the link would be through spiritual studies and tarot would a small passing interest within that. But yeh in hindsight, it is non-relevant here.

Thanks for replying. It is a strange little thing. I'll keep following the trail, you've been super helpful. I didn't think it could be so old either.

 

An esoteric means of divination, rather than something spiritual.

I am glad to have been of help though. It is a charming box.
Maybe there is a 'cartomancy' (official term) or esoterica museum somewhere that can help you. If you find out more, will you tell us?

 

Nathan, I found a Tarot museum in Belgium, they speak English, maybe they can help you:
https://www.tarotmuseumbelgium.com/
https://www.tarotmuseumbelgium.com/contact

Edit:
If the Belgians don't know, there is a Tarot museum in Italy, birthplace of Tarot:
http://www.museodeitarocchi.net/
http://www.museodeitarocchi.net/contatti.html

 

Unbelievelable, couldnt find anything on my google searches for experts on the topic. If anybody knows they will.

 

Nathan, did you see my edit ?

Maybe it helps that I live closer to the source, and can search in different languages.

 

Anyone else finding that Google is not as helpful these days as it used to be? Too skewed toward things that are for sale.

Search engines definitely vary results by language & browsing history of the user. I have at times asked friends in other parts of the world to do a search for me to see if they get results Google thinks won't interest me.

 

I use Startpage, a Dutch search engine that uses other search engines and has a high privacy rating. It is also available internationally.

For browsers I use both Firefox and Opera, a Norwegian browser that is also known for good privacy.
Of course you can also customize your settings in both (and should), but it is nice to be taken seriously as a user.

 

Thanks AJ, I have seen your edit. I'll give both places a try.

It has been a few times now that after a few hours of searching I post a photo on here and someone finds it in minutes Will definately be looking into Startpage as an option, not sure about learning a new language though

 

The good thing about startpage is not just the no-tracking and privacy, but also that it uses several other search engines, so combined knowledge.

https://www.startpage.com/privacy-please/about-startpage

You can always ask here.

 

My guess would be that the design was chosen for the top just because it was an attractive, old-looking image; and that the box has nothing to do with tarot.
All the actual tarot decks I've seen, old or new, are a standard size, considerably larger than a standard playing-card, and so would not fit in this box.
The wood inserts are fairly common in my experience, especially on imported or inexpensive items.
The box has seen some hard knocks, but I'm not sure it is very old. In many ways it reminds me of the decoupage fad of the 1970s, where individuals would choose an image they liked and stick it to the top of a random box, often an inexpensive import or something found at the thrift shop, then give it a good coat of lacquer. And some of these of course were done using boxes that were old at the time they were decoupaged.

 

Back in the 60s, an old tarot design would have been hippie cool. I'd bet it held something dried and green instead of a deck of cards.