the graphical panorama from the 9 th and 12 th centuries to the university writing systems. the most...
TRANSCRIPT
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!