Manuscrit de J. Midolle, art[i]te, ecrivain, compositeur et démonstrateur

Résumé du livre

Album of writing samples by the Swiss artist and calligrapher Jean Midolle, produced between 1833 and 1836, possibly in Strasbourg. Specimens, many signed and dated by Midolle, consist principally of alphabets, number series, and religious texts written in different calligraphic styles on heavy paper, which have then been affixed to the leaves of the album. Although many samples are done in black ink, others are done more elaborately with decorations and backgrounds in various colors. For example, the religious texts in Latin, including the Lord's Prayer, Ave Maria, and Salve Regina, are scripted in a gothic hand in red and black, and brilliantly illuminated in a medieval style. Many of the alphabets are labelled with titles such as "Gothique Scandinave," "Gothique nouvelle," "Gothique Möyen Age," "Chancellerie," "Grec gothique," "Fracture," and "Lapidaire fleuroonnée." Midolle also includes illustrations of different pen nibs, with samples of the kind of writing they produce; drawings of architectural details embellished with calligraphic decoration; and samples of sign lettering.