The Tarocchino del Putto is a faithful restoration of a rare and unusual anonymous deck held in the British Museum, informally known as the 'Naked Boy'; after the putto depicted on its card backs. This unique, handcrafted work was originally painted in tempera and stands apart from standard two-headed Tarocchino decks of the Bolognese tradition in several notable ways. Many cards feature dual faces with differing, often humorous expressions, and several trump cards depart from convention entirely: the Star depicts the Three Magi bearing gifts, and the Sun shows a phoenix
rising from its ashes rather than the traditional woman with a spindle.
 
The restoration addressed a number of challenges, including a missing Ace of Coins that had been clumsily replaced with an Ace of Clubs prior to the deck's museum acquisition. This missing card was recreated using an early Tarocchino model consistent with the deck's period. The pip cards from Two to Five were also carefully reconstructed, backgrounds were cleaned to restore the original colors, and areas of flaking paint were repaired. The deck's distinctive laid paper texture has been faithfully replicated using a two-sheet glued construction, and all card backs feature the putto
facing right.

A rare example of antique Italian playing cards produced without Rivoltini borders, the Tarocchino del Putto is likely the work of a nonprofessional artisan, lending it an irreplaceable handmade charm. This edition presents it as a coherent, respectful restoration for collectors, scholars, and enthusiasts of historical cardmaking.