Paul Bommer – Le Diable – Original Signed Limited Edition Screenprint – Number 2/45 – Tarot Card XV

Artist: Paul Bommer
Title: Le Diable (The Devil)
Medium: Original colour screenprint
Edition: Limited edition of 45 impressions
This example: Number 2/45, signed by Paul Bommer
Subject: The Devil, Major Arcana XV, Tarot de Marseille
Stock reference: 004244

Description

An original, signed and numbered limited-edition screenprint by British artist and illustrator Paul Bommer, depicting Le Diable (The Devil), the fifteenth card of the Major Arcana in the traditional Tarot de Marseille.

This example is numbered 2/45 from a limited edition of just 45 impressions and bears the artist’s signature.

A wonderfully bold and characterful composition, Le Diable combines the symbolism of traditional tarot imagery with Bommer’s distinctive approach to historical illustration, folklore and decorative printmaking. The central figure is a fantastical red devil with curved horns, wings, pointed ears, a long beard and an extraordinary hybrid body. Standing amid stylised flames, the creature brandishes a three-pronged fork and gazes out with a single prominent yellow eye. The composition is rendered in a striking combination of red, yellow and black against the white paper. Its heavy outlines, patterned surfaces and deliberately exaggerated anatomy recall traditional woodcuts, popular prints and early illustrated playing cards.

At the top right appears the Roman numeral XV, identifying the subject as the fifteenth Major Arcana card, while the title Le Diable is incorporated into a decorative yellow panel beneath the figure. The resulting image is both sinister and humorous, displaying Bommer’s characteristic ability to transform traditional imagery into a distinctive contemporary artwork.

The Devil in the Tarot de Marseille

Le Diable is one of the most recognisable and visually striking cards in the traditional Tarot de Marseille, a family of tarot designs that became particularly influential in France and neighbouring European countries. The fifteenth card of the Major Arcana traditionally depicts a horned, winged creature combining human and animal characteristics. Historical versions often portray the Devil standing upon a pedestal, sometimes accompanied by two smaller figures attached by ropes or chains. The imagery draws upon medieval and early modern representations of demons, incorporating elements associated with temptation, captivity, earthly desire and the supernatural. Within modern tarot interpretation, the card is frequently associated with themes of attachment, temptation, material concerns and the limitations people impose upon themselves.

Bommer retains the essential characteristics of this established iconography while introducing his own unmistakable visual language. His Devil is theatrical, grotesque and slightly comic, with an expressive face, exaggerated limbs and richly patterned body. The prominent flames and traditional lettering reinforce the image’s connection with historical popular prints and the visual culture of fortune-telling.

A Reference to Dante’s Inferno

A particularly interesting feature of the screenprint is the Italian inscription appearing beside the Devil:

Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate.

Translated into English, the words mean:

Abandon all hope, you who enter.

The phrase is taken from Canto III of Inferno, the opening part of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, composed in the early fourteenth century. In Dante’s poem, the words form part of the inscription above the entrance to Hell. Their inclusion introduces a literary reference that extends the artwork beyond conventional tarot illustration. The combination of Dante’s terrifying warning with Bommer’s colourful, almost mischievous devil creates an effective contrast between the solemnity of medieval literature and the exuberance of popular visual culture. It also reflects the artist’s broader interest in mythology, historical texts, traditional symbolism and the imaginative possibilities of illustration.

Paul Bommer: Artist and Illustrator

Paul Bommer is a British artist, illustrator and printmaker whose work is distinguished by intricate draughtsmanship, expressive characterisation, decorative pattern and a fascination with historical imagery. His illustrations draw upon a wide range of influences, including British and European folklore, heraldry, mythology, traditional printmaking, popular literature and the history of decorative art.

Bommer frequently reinterprets familiar historical and literary subjects, creating compositions that combine visual humour with carefully observed traditional forms. Animals, supernatural creatures, elaborate lettering, ornamental detail and references to historical prints are recurring features of his work. His distinctive approach is particularly suited to the imagery of tarot, which offers a rich combination of symbolism, mythology, historical design and imaginative characterisation. In Le Diable, Bommer transforms a centuries-old subject into a striking contemporary print while retaining its recognisable origins in the traditional Marseille tarot.

Condition and Presentation

Fine condition. The print is supplied unframed and will be carefully rolled and securely packaged in a protective postal tube for dispatch.

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Our collection reflects a longstanding interest in original British illustration, historical imagery, decorative printmaking and artists whose work explores the connections between art, literature and cultural history. We aim to provide informative, accurately researched descriptions that explain both the artwork itself and the historical subjects that inspired its creation.

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