Epitaph in Lincoln Cathedral

 Here is calligraphy in a floor epitaph in Lincoln Cathedral. Floor epitaphs were placed especially so people walk on them, but it of course contributed to their wear. It is written in Lombardic versals and dated, however, the date only says MCCC and thereafter it is worn out and not visible. So it could have another C, but certainly no more, as normally a "D" was written instead of five C's. So we have here an approximate date: 14th or 15th century. Still, better than nothing.

Interesting here is use of both "V" and "U" where we today spell "u".

There is a book available, based on this blog.  

On the blog there is, so to speak, more room, one can show more illustrations there. Blogs, however, come and go, there is no certainty that it will be there ten years from now. The book, on the other hand, once you acquire it, will last, one can be sure of that.

Turin museum

Manuscripts you don't normally appreciate these days. There may be some mediaeval book exhibited in a museum, but even if so, it is often open on one page in a glass case. This is the case in Turin Museum, where one can see an exquisite copy of a missal finished (so a comment next to it says) the very year Columbus returned from America. It is a perfect example of the Italian rotunda hand.

In the same museum I found an interesting reliquary with some calligraphy on it, I present it here, too.

There is a book available, based on this blog.  

On the blog there is, so to speak, more room, one can show more illustrations there. Blogs, however, come and go, there is no certainty that it will be there ten years from now. The book, on the other hand, once you acquire it, will last, one can be sure of that.

Calligraphy in the Czech Castle Frydlant

In the northern part of Czech Republic there is a well preserved Castle Frydlant. Among other things there are examples of some old calligraphy. The best ones are descriptions of some portraits, stating who is painted below. I present here just the writing, not the portraits. There is no date but the persons painted were dressed according to 17th century fashion, except Wilhelm Graf Clam Gallas, who has clearly been painted in 19th century.

In the 17th century the Czech lands, as Kingdom of Bohemia, were part of the German empire and as elsewhere in Germany - the fractur script was used.

There also is a renaissance plaque, this time dated, with graceful capitalis quadrata.

There is a book available, based on this blog.  

On the blog there is, so to speak, more room, one can show more illustrations there. Blogs, however, come and go, there is no certainty that it will be there ten years from now. The book, on the other hand, once you acquire it, will last, one can be sure of that.

Sta Maria della Grazie, Milan

 This is the church where the famous Last Supper by Leonardo is. I mean the Last Supper is in a separate room, formerly a refectory, but now a museum of just one picture. To see that museum one has to purchase tickets well in advance, however, the entry to the church is free whenever it is open. The church is part Gothic and part Renaissance and one can find some good Renaissance calligraphy there. One of them is dated 1537. The lettering used is Capitalis Monumentalis, but with the characteristic contractions, some letters being smaller and inside others, normal size.

There is a book available, based on this blog.  

On the blog there is, so to speak, more room, one can show more illustrations there. Blogs, however, come and go, there is no certainty that it will be there ten years from now. The book, on the other hand, once you acquire it, will last, one can be sure of that.

San Ambrogio in Milan

 In San Ambrogio church in Milan, on the walls of the porch before the church, there are marble slabs which (I am guessing) used to be floor slabs in the church. These are apparently memorials for someone who died (although I have to admit that not knowing Latin I don't know what is written on them). They seem to have been made in various epochs. Some are dated, in others I can't find anything that would suggest a date but judging after the shape of letters some may be much older than the dated ones. Anyway seeing only the dated ones one can see the evolution of lettering from the textura and Lombardic towards classical capitalis elegans.

Here I am presenting first the dated ones and following them the undated

Dated 1444

Dated 1491

Dated 1496

Dated 1498

Dated 1514

Dated 1581. Interesting is the M in the date,
made of a "C" then "I" and a "C" turned backwards.
It seems to resemble a Lombardic M

Dated 1630

Dated 1693

Undated, using Lombardic letters

There is a book available, based on this blog.  

On the blog there is, so to speak, more room, one can show more illustrations there. Blogs, however, come and go, there is no certainty that it will be there ten years from now. The book, on the other hand, once you acquire it, will last, one can be sure of that.

Chichester cathedral

In Chichester, south of England, I found some interesting calligraphy panels. Some were produced during the period of English iconoclasm, when there were no pictures in churches but calligraphy panels would be framed like painted pictures. There are dates on each panel (just in case someone wandered when was this period of iconoclasm).

There is a book available, based on this blog.  

On the blog there is, so to speak, more room, one can show more illustrations there. Blogs, however, come and go, there is no certainty that it will be there ten years from now. The book, on the other hand, once you acquire it, will last, one can be sure of that.