An interesting mystery in the history of this deck are the two different spellings of Jean Dodal's name.
On the 2 of Cups, "Jean Dodal" is written in large text. However, on the 2 of Coins is "Faict a Lyon par Jean Dodali". This shows that the deck was produced in Lyon, France by "Jean Dodali".
Historians believe that Jean Dodal may have changed his name to a more Italian sounding version in an effort to facilitate export.
This theory is supported by the acronyms PLN and FPE on the 2 of Cups. PLN most likely stands for “Pour Le Négoce” (for trading) and FPE probably stands for “fait pour l'etranger” (made for export).
You can also see the phrase "F.P. Le Trange" (fait pour l'etranger - made for export) which appears on the four Knights, the Page of Batons, the Force, and the World.
The tarot has yet to reveal all of its mysteries. But, here at Artisan Tarot, we work tirelessly to stay true to this historic tool of divination and prophecy.
The Jean Dodal Tarot deck is now available. You can get it and all the fun accessories at the link below.
William Rader
Krisztin Kondor
