François-Gabriel Gaudais was a Parisian master cardmaker active in the 19th century. Based in the French capital, he produced several decks of playing cards and tarot cards, including a version of the Tarot of Besançon that became famous for its unique aesthetic. This deck, published in the second half of the 19th century, follows the Besançon tradition by replacing the Popess and the Pope with Juno and Jupiter, but it is especially distinguished by an unprecedented graphic detail: a diagonal bar crossing the images, dividing and reflecting the characters.
Through his work, Gaudais continues the legacy of French master cardmakers who, from Paris to Besançon, shaped the evolution of tarot between the 18th and 19th centuries by adapting the images to the religious and cultural sensibilities of their time.
