BARBEDOR (Louis): Les Escritures financière et Italienne bat - Lot 111

BARBEDOR (Louis): Les Escritures financière et Italienne batarde dans leur naiveté. Ouvrage composé de quantité d'exemplaires qui sont d'expéditions que l'on escritellement journellement en toutes sortes d'affaires, chacune escrite du caractère convenable à son sujet. (...) Avec plusieurs autres excritures et alphabets de la plus-part des nations du Monde. Paris, Nicolas Langlois, s.d. (Circa 1650). One volume. 39 by 28.5 cm. Unencrypted work. 4 printed pages, followed by a portrait, then 54 sheets of handwriting reproductions (with 58 model letters). Later half-percaline, modest binding. Title page formerly mounted on mitre, wetness at top of pages, two or three small worm galleries on part of the work, not serious. Last leaf slightly creased. The work can be dated by the date mentioned on some model letters: 1647. The portrait is dated 1650. Beautiful book on the art of calligraphy by Louis Barbedor (1589-1670), a master writer active in Paris around 1610-1670 and one of the greatest calligraphers of his time. Accepted into the Communauté des Maîtres écrivains jurés in 1609, he was later Secrétaire ordinaire de la Chambre du Roi, and for a few years syndic of his guild. Paillasson reports that he was also well versed in oriental writings. When the Parlement de Paris decided to standardize its scripts, he was commissioned to draw up the reference copy of the "lettre ronde". His copy was chosen and imposed by a decree dated February 26, 1633. Existing copies mention between 50 and 60 pages of writing templates. Most do not mention the 4 printed pages (title page and introduction), and start with a handwritten title page model placed on the 5th sheet in our copy. The title of this title page is: l'escriture financière dans sa naïsveté. A very fine work of Western calligraphy...