The Sun 1751

This tarot card, “The Sun,” was made by Claude Burdel in Switzerland, sometime in the 18th century. It is a woodblock print, a relatively democratic medium at the time, as it allowed for the efficient production of multiple images. Look closely, and you can see how the different colors were probably applied using separate blocks for each, and with stencils. This kind of labor-intensive production was typical of the era, before mechanization took hold. The materiality of the card—paper and ink—belies the complex social context in which it was made. Tarot cards like these were not simply art objects; they were tools for divination and games, reflecting popular culture and beliefs. The design elements, from the smiling sun to the figures below, speak to a visual language accessible to a broad audience. But even in this seemingly simple object, there's a story of production, distribution, and consumption that transcends traditional boundaries between fine art and craft.