16th Century Silvestre Universal Palaeography Plate 148 - 11th C. Lombardic Script

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An original large-format folio chromolithograph (Pl. 148) from Joseph Balthazar Silvestre’s landmark 19th-century work, Paléographie Universelle. Measuring 22" x 15", … Read more An original large-format folio chromolithograph (Pl. 148) from Joseph Balthazar Silvestre’s landmark 19th-century work, Paléographie Universelle. Measuring 22" x 15", this plate is a masterpiece of early color printing and calligraphic reproduction.

The plate illustrates a mid-11th-century Lombardic "broken" script (Lombard brisé) from the Monastère de la Cava, Naples, featuring a passage from St. Gregory the Great’s "Commentaria in Job." It is dominated by a stunning, large illuminated initial "Q" with intricate foliate and interlaced zoomorphic detailing. The lower section provides a reference alphabet of the period's unique letterforms.

Identified by the credits "Silvestre scripsit" and "Girault sculpsit," this piece represents the pinnacle of 19th-century scholarship in the history of writing. The print is tipped onto its original heavy-stock backing paper with French descriptive letterpress. A rare, oversized specimen perfect for serious collectors of medievalism and fine printing.

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Silvestre, Palaeography, Folio Plate, Chromolithograph, 1840s, Medieval Script, Illuminated Initial, St Gregory, Lombardic, Calligraphy Art, Manuscript, Antique Print, Girault, Naples Art, Rare Print See less