The graphical panorama from the 9th and 12th centuries to the University writing systems. The most important

writing systems from the 9th century to the University Era

Wednesday, July 2th, h. 9-13

From Bologna to the Blogosphere.A History of Written Correspondence’ Summer School

June 23rd - July 4th 2014

Annafelicia Zuffrano

Giorgio Cencetti(1908-1970)

Bernhard Bischoff(1906-1991)

Armando Petrucci(1932- )

G. CENCETTI, Lineamenti di Storia della scrittura latina,

rist. a cura di G. GUERRINI, Bologna

1997

B. B. BISCHOFF, Latin palaeography: antiquity and middle age, translated by D. Ó CRÓINÍN AND D.

GANZ, Cambridge 1990

A. PETRUCCI, Breve storia della paleografia latina,

Roma 1992

«Paleography is the critical study of the ancient scriptures and its purpose is not only to exactly

interpret the manuscripts, but also to date them, to locate them and, in general, to trace,

from their physical appearance, all the elements useful for the study of their content

and in general, of the cultural history». Giorgio Cencetti

1. What is written in the source

we are studying?

2. When was it written?

3. Where was it written?

4. How was it written?

5. Who wrote the source we are

analyzing?

6. Why was writing our sources?

The paleographical lexicon

Writing materials

Marble

Bronze

Wax tablet

PapyrusParchment

Paper

Writing materials and instruments

Hammer and chisel

Rome - Votive inscription on marble

A.D. IIth cent., Epigraphic Capital

Writing materials and instruments

Rome, Foro Romano - Pillar under Lapis Niger

Ancient Script - b.C. VIth-Vth cent.

Pointed instrument

Ante A.D. 79 - Pompei-Graffiti

Writing materials and instruments

Wax tablet

57 A.D.- Wax tablets of Pompei

Writing materials and instruments

Pompei – Electioneering on wall

Brush

Writing materials and instruments

Parchment

Papyrus

Quill and reed pen

Papyrus

Various type of ink

Bub, ms. 2461, 14th century

Rome, Biblioteca Angelica, ms. 123, Gradual, Troper, Sequence,

11th century

Various type of ink

Codex Argenteus, Uppsala, UB, D.G. 1 + Speyer,

Historische Museum der Pfalz, 6th century

Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, Rossano, 6th century

Majuscule: all the characters have the same size

and where the letters can be inscribed in a

bilinear system

Minuscule: all the characters have different sizes

and where the letters can be inscribed in a four-

linear system

Size: refers to the letter dimensions

Shape: refers to the look of every single letter

Ductus: refers to the way in which the script is traced and it can be:

Composed

Cursive

Half-cursive

chiaroscuro (light and shade): refers to the thickness of letter’s strokes

hatching (tratteggio): refers to the number, the sequence and the direction of the letter strokes

heavy lacking light

Samples of hatching

Rustic capital

Samples of hatching

Caroline minuscule

Samples of hatching

French gothic

Ligature: it is a union between two or more characters

Fusion: two consecutive letters share one shape

Largitio

Book writing

Padova, Antoniana Library, ms. I 27, 9th-10th century

Documentary writing

Bologna, State Archive, Uff. dei Rif. degli estimi, s. II b. 25 n. 14, 1296-97, cedola of estimo in vernacular

Chancellery’s writing

St. Gallen, Stifftsarchiv, Abteilung Pfaerfers, A. D. 1139, imperial diploma of

Conrad III

Cencetti’s writings categorization

1. graphical roman unit

2. graphical particularism

3. caroline-gothic

4. modern-humanistic

Roman Era

Early Middle Ages

8th -13th century

14th- 15th century

Caroline minuscule(8th-12th century)

L. Delisle

V. Federici

A. Hessel

L. Schiaparelli

Caroline minuscule(8th-12th century)

Transition minuscule

Guido III, State Archive. S. Giovanni in Monte 6/1346.1, January, 12th, 1158

Angelo, State Archive, S. Giovanni in Monte 3/1343 n. 45, April 1144

GothicAD 1339, Trier

AD 1353, Rome

Mayer’s rules

1)

2)

3)

If two adjacent letters have bows facing one another (for example be, oc, po) then they are set so close that the bows partially overlap

After the letters with a bow the r assumes the 2-shape

There are two shapes of d, the first one with the ascender sloping to the left before a round letters, the second one with straight ascender before a straight letters

The Italian shape of gothic: rotunda script

Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Petrarch’s Virgile, 14th sec.

The “Scholastic scripts” : the littera bononiensis script

14th sec, BUB, Ms. 1178, Rolandinus de Passeggeri, Summa artis notarie

Italian chancellery’s minuscule

AD 1337, Milan, Biblioteca Trivulziana

AD 1346, Treves, Stadtbibliothek

Humanistic script

AD 1457, Berna, Stadtbibliothek, Valerius Probus, De notis antiquis

The Italica script

AD 1562, Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Letter of Carlo Borromeo

Thanks for your attention!