3-041-704 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Guide for Constructing the Letter E; Mira calligraphiae monumenta, about 1591-1596. Additional Info: On two grids, Joris Hoefnagel demonstrated the proper form of a capital E, with the proportions of the letter determined by the relation of its parts to squares and arcs. About thirty years after Georg Bocskay finished his 'Model Book of Calligraphy', Hoefnagel added his 'Guide to the Construction of Letters' to the manuscript. Hoefnagel's Guide uses diagrams to demonstrate how geometric principles might be applied to typographical design. The motifs surrounding these diagrams are charged with allegorical and symbolic meaning.