r/Medievalart

Five years ago, I decided to photograph an entire Tarot deck (78 cards) using a medium-format film camera.

Only real historical costumes, weapons, and jewelry. Only analog film. No digital manipulation, no compositing, no Photoshop.

That’s how the Amber Tarot project was born.We started looking for historical reenactment groups and reenactors who could help us bring these scenes to life.

Two reconstructed medieval villages, representing the 13th–14th centuries, joined the project and helped us recreate the atmosphere of the Tarot while making the weapons, clothing, and historical details feel as authentic as possible.The Five, Six, and Seven of Swords cards were actually photographed in a reconstructed medieval village, featuring its modern-day “inhabitants”.

And for the cards that were impossible to photograph in real locations, we built our own practical sets.For example, The Tower was a massive, several-meter-tall structure built from wood and foam, with real stunt performers jumping in front of it.

Everything you see in the cards was physically there, in front of the camera.

What do you think of a project like this?

(late 13th–14th centuries). Obverse matrix of the seal of the Council of Castrojeriz (Burgos). “The Seal of the Collegiate Church of Santa María del Manzano in Castrojeriz.” Pilgrims walking the meseta have stoped here for stamps for centuries…

Guda was a 12th-century nun and illuminator from Germany. She created a self-portrait in an initial letter in the Homiliary of St. Bartholomew. Because of humility, most nuns that worked as illuminators, didn't signed the manuscripts they illuminated. She did. But her inscription says: "Guda, a sinner, wrote and painted this book.".

[removed]

This late 14th or early 15th-century South Netherlandish bronze aquamanile (object no. 1975.1.1416) is currently housed in the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Artist unknown

I felt the urge to paint something in a medieval style and chose to depict one of my DnD characters snuggling with her future husband.

I used a pose reference from the Codex Manesse because I thought it was so cute. It's painted with Photoshop.