Geometric construction of uppercase Roman letters

michele casanova

I am looking for treatises from the 15th and 16th centuries that provide instructions for geometrically constructing the capital letters of the alphabet. I have found these sources.

• Online manuscripts (15th century):
  1. Alphabetum Romanum (article)
  2. Laskaris, Iōannēs: Johannis Lascaris Rhyndaceni ad Petrum Medicis ars litteraria sive de literis graecis, latinis, hebraicis
  3. Alphabet : forms and proportions of Roman capital letters [This manuscript seems particularly interesting]
• Printed books:
  1. Damianus Moyllus, Alfabeto, Parma, 1483. (facsimile)
  2. Luca Pacioli, De divina proportione, Paganinus de Paganinis, Venezia, 1509 (article)
  3. Sigismondo Fanti, Theorica et pratica de modo scribendi fabricandiqve omnes litterarvm species, Venezia, 1514
  4. Francesco Torniello, Opera del modo de fare le littere maiuscole antique, Milano, 1517.
  5. Albrecht Dürer, Underweysung der Messung, 1525.
  6. Giovanni Battista Verini, Elementorum litterarum, 1526.
  7. Geoffroy Tory, Champ fleury, 1529.
  8. Ferdinando Ruano, Sette alphabeti di varie lettere, 1554.
  9. Vespasiano Amphiareo, Opera di frate Vespasiano Amphiareo da Ferrara dell'ordine minore conventvale, nella qvale s'insegna a scrivere varie sorti di lettere, 1564 (1572 copy) [There are no indications on how to construct the letters but it seems to refer to a square for the construction]

Do you have any suggestions on where to find more information?

Andreas Stötzner

Enjoy reading the works you already have and keep in mind that the very concept of “geometrical construction of Roman letters” is a misconception.

michele casanova

Andreas Stötzner said:

Enjoy reading the works you already have and keep in mind that the very concept of “geometrical construction of Roman letters” is a misconception.

I know that it does not reflect reality and it is an idealizing reinterpretation widespread in the Renaissance, but I am only interested in comparing these reinterpretations 

John Savard

I'm not familiar enough with this subject to suggest additional resources of this nature - with the exception of the French Romain du Roi project as one you hadn't included. But then, it may not have been the sort of thing you were looking for.

But this brings me to what I would be interested in: any attempts of that nature which also included the lowercase alphabet. After all, a typeface is hardly complete without it. Ah, I see the one by Ruano does address this, as well as giving constructions for other styles than Roman.

C.Fransen

michele casanova said:

I am looking for treatises from the 15th and 16th centuries that provide instructions for geometrically constructing the capital letters of the alphabet. I have found these sources...

...Do you have any suggestions on where to find more information?

Hi Michele,

In F.E. Blokland’s dissertation, On the Origin of Patterning in Movable Type: Renaissance Standardisation, Systematisation, and Unitisation of Textura and Roman Type, you may find relevant information in Appendix 8: Proportions of Capitals in Roman Type. Although it’s not a treatise from the 15th or 16th century (2016), it does address these.

Appendice 7: Geometry in the Renaissance might be interesting as well.

You'll find the link for this dissertation on his site in the first paragraph: https://www.lettermodel.org/index.html

Cheers, Coen.

michele casanova

@C.Fransen Thanks.