The creation of the Visconti tarot is attributed to Bonifacio Bembo, although this is still subject to debate.
Bonifacio Bembo, born in Brescia at the beginning of the 15th century, was an Italian painter and illuminator of the early Renaissance, active mainly between 1447 and 1477. Coming from a family of artists, he was the son of Giovanni Bembo and the brother of Benedetto Bembo, also painters.
Trained in the late Gothic style, Bonifacio Bembo was influenced by Neoplatonic ideals after his encounter with Gemistus Pletho. He worked for prestigious patrons, notably the Sforza family. Among his notable works are the frescoes in the Church of Saint Augustine in Cremona and the portraits of Francesco I Sforza and his wife Bianca Maria Visconti, dated 1462, visible at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan.
Bembo is also recognized for his contribution to tarot art, generally considered the author of one of the famous Visconti-Sforza tarot decks, whose symbolism reflects his interest in Neoplatonism.
His date of death is uncertain, with some sources placing it in 1498, while others place it before 1482.
