GOTHIC LETTERS
The name "Gothic" applies rather to the spirit than to the exact letter
forms of the style. The same spirit of freedom and restlessness
characterises the architecture of the period wherein this style of letter
was developed; and Gothic letters are in many ways akin to the fundamental
forms of Gothic architecture. Their effect is often tiring and confusing to
the eye because of the constant recurrence of very similar forms with
different letter meanings; yet this very similarity is the main cause of
the pleasing aspect of a page of Gothic lettering.
Unlike the Roman letters, which attained a complete and final development,
Gothic letters never reached authoritative and definitive forms, any more
than did Gothic architecture. Every individual Gothic letter has several
quasi-authoritative shapes, and all of these variants may be accepted, as
long as they display an intelligent conception of the spirit of the style
as a whole. Because of this lack of finality, however, it is impossible to
analyze each of the letter forms as we were able to do with the Roman
alphabet in Chapter I; yet this very variability and variety constitute at
once the peculiar beauty of Gothic and the great difficulty of so drawing
it as to preserve its distinctive character.
Any letter of Gothic form is usually called either "Gothic" or
"Blackletter" indiscriminately, but this use is inexact [128] and
confusing. The term "Blackletter" should, strictly, be applied only to
letters in which the amount of black in the line overbalances the white;
and the proper application of the title should be determined rather by this
balance or weight of the letter than by its form.
[Illustration: 141. ITALIAN ROUND GOTHIC SMALL LETTERS. 1500]
The original Gothic letter was a gradual outgrowth from the round Roman
Uncial. Its early forms retained all the roundness of its Uncial parent;
but as the advantages of a condensed form of letter for the saving of space
became manifest, (parchment was expensive and bulky) and the [131] beauty
of the resulting blacker page was noticed, the round Gothic forms were
written closer and narrower, the ascenders and descenders were shortened,
with marked loss of legibilty, that the lines of lettering might be brought
closer together, until a form was evolved in which the black overbalanced
the white--the Blackletter which still survives in the common German text
of to-day. Thus, though a Gothic letter may not be a Blackletter, a
Blackletter is _always_ Gothic, because it is constructed upon Gothic
lines. On the other hand, a Roman Blackletter would be an obvious
impossibility. The very essential and fundamental quality of a Roman letter
lies in the squareness or circularity of its skeleton form.
For clearness and convenience, then, the following discrimination between
the terms Gothic and Blackletter will be adopted in this treatise: When a
letter is Gothic but not a Blackletter it will be called "Round Gothic";
when it is primarily a Blackletter it will be termed "Blackletter," the
latter name being restricted to such compressed, narrow or angular forms as
the small letters shown in 144, 147 and 148. The name "Round Gothic" will
be applied only to the earlier forms, such as those shown in 141 and 142.
Such a distinction has not, I believe, hitherto been attempted; but the
confusion which otherwise results makes the discrimination seem advisable.
The three pages of examples, figures 141, 142 and 143, exhibit the
characteristic forms and standard variations of the Round Gothic. In lieu
of any detailed analysis of these letter shapes, it may perhaps be
sufficient to say that they were wholly and exactly determined by the
position of the quill, which was held rigidly upright, after the fashion
[132] already described in speaking of Roman lettering; and that the
letters were always formed with a round swinging motion of hand and arm, as
their forms and accented lines clearly evidence; for the medieval scribes
used the Round Gothic as an easy and legible handwritten form, and linked
many of the letters.
[Illustration: 142. ITALIAN ROUND GOTHIC SMALL LETTERS. 16th CENTURY]
[Illustration: 143. SPANISH ROUND GOTHIC LETTERS. FRANCISCO LUCAS, 1577]
[Illustration: 144. GERMAN BLACKLETTER CONSTRUCTION. ALBRECHT DÜRER]
Figures 158, 170, 172 and 173 show some capitals adapted for use with these
Round Gothic letters; but the beginner should be extremely wary of
attempting to use any Gothic capitals alone to form words, as their
outlines are not suited for inter-juxtaposition. Occasionally they may thus
be used, and used effectively, as is shown, for instance, in the beautiful
page of lettering by Mr. Edwin A. Abbey, 153; but so successful a solution
is rare, and implies an intimate knowledge of the historic examples and use
of Gothic lettering.
The late Gothic or Blackletter is condensed and narrowed in the extreme. No
circles are employed in the construction of the small letters, which have
angular and generally acute corners. As in all pen-drawn letters, the broad
lines are made on the down right-sloping strokes, and the narrow lines are
at right angles to these. Blackletter shapes, like those of the Round
Gothic, cannot, as has been said, be defined by any set of general rules;
the intrinsic quality of all Gothic letters almost demands a certain
freedom of treatment that would transgress any laws that could be
formulated. Indeed the individual forms should always be subservient to the
effect of the line or page. Observe in almost every example shown how the
form of the same letter constantly varies in some minor detail. The drawing
by Albrecht Dürer, reproduced in 144, will, [134] however, serve to show
the construction of an excellent Blackletter, which may fairly be
considered as typical.
[Illustration: 145. GERMAN BLACKLETTERS. FROM MANUSCRIPTS]
[Illustration: 146. GERMAN BLACKLETTERS WITH ROUNDED ANGLES]
The first essential of a good Blackletter line or page is that it shall be
of a uniform color. Unlike the Roman, the Blackletter form does not permit
that one word be wider spaced than others in the same panel. The amount of
white left between the several letters should be as nearly as possible the
same throughout, approximately the same as the space between the
perpendicular strokes of the minuscule letters themselves. Usually, the
less the white space the better will be the general effect of the page, for
its beauty depends much upon a general blackness of aspect;--and let it be
noted in passing that, for this reason, it is doubly difficult to judge of
the final effect of a Blackletter page from any outlined pencil sketch.
Even in the cases of those capital letters that extend both above and below
the guide lines it will be found possible to so adjust the spaces [135] and
blacks as not to interrupt the general uniformity of color, and it is
sometimes advisable to fill awkward blanks by flourishes; although
flourishing, even in Blackletter, is an amusement that should be indulged
in cautiously. As a general rule the more solidly black a panel of
Blackletter is the better (a principle too often disregarded in the modern
use of the form); though on the other hand, the less legible the individual
letters will become. The designer should therefore endeavor to steer a
middle course, making his panel as black as he can without rendering the
individual letters illegible.
No style permits more of liberty in the treatment of its separate letter
forms than the Blackletter. The same letter may require a different outline
at the beginning of a word than in the middle or at the end. The ascenders
and descenders may be drawn so short as hardly to transcend the guide lines
of the minuscules, or may grow into [136] flourishes up and down, to the
right or to the left, to fill awkward blanks. Indeed so variable are these
forms that in ancient examples it is often difficult to recognize an
individual letter apart from its context.
The two pages drawn by Mr. Goodhue, 188 and 189, deserve careful study as
examples of modern use of the Blackletter. It will be observed that almost
as many variants of each letter are employed as the number used would
permit, thus giving the panel variety and preventing any appearance of
monotony or rigidity. Notice the freedom and variety of the swash lines in
the capitals, and yet that each version is quite as graceful, logical and
original as any of its variants.
The examples of old lettering reproduced in figures 147, 148 and 149,
together with the drawings by Mr. Goodhue, will indicate the proper spacing
of Blackletter; but in most of the pages here devoted to illustrating the
individual forms the letters have been spaced too wide for their proper
effect that each separate shape might be shown distinctly. The style
appears at its best in compositions which fill a panel of more or less
geometrical form, as, for example, the beautiful title-page reproduced in
147. Could anything be more delightful to the eye than its rich blackness,
energetic lines, and refreshing virility? In this design surely we have a
specimen that, from the proportion and balance of its blacks, is more
effective than anything which could have been accomplished by the use of
the more rigid Roman letter; but despite its many beauties it suffers from
the inherent weakness of the individual letter forms,--it is more effective
than readable!
[Illustration: 147. ITALIAN BLACKLETTER TITLE-PAGE. JACOPUS FORESTI, 1497]
[Illustration: 148. GERMAN BLACKLETTER PAGE. ALBRECHT DÜRER, 1515]
[Illustration: 149. GERMAN MEMORIAL BRASS. MEISSEN, 1510]
[Illustration: 150. MODERN AMERICAN COVER IN BLACKLETTER. B. G. GOODHUE]
Another excellent example of the old use of Blackletter is the page from
the prayerbook of the Emperor Maximilian, [138] shown in 148, in which
observe again the variety of the individual letter forms. Figure 149 shows
the use of a Blackletter on an admirable monumental brass, which is reputed
to have been designed by Albrecht Dürer. A similar Blackletter form, also
from a brass, is shown at larger scale in 186.
[139]
Any of the minuscule forms of Blackletter which have been illustrated may
be used with the Gothic capitals of figures 164-5, 166, 177, 179, 185,
188-9; or with such Uncial capitals as are illustrated in 155 to 162; care
being taken, of course, that these capitals are made to agree in style and
weight with the small letters chosen. Although Uncial capitals are
historically more closely allied with the Round Gothic, we have abundant
precedent for their use with the minuscule Blackletter in many of the best
medieval specimens.
When the Gothic Uncial capitals were cut in stone and marble there was
naturally a corresponding change in character, as is shown in the Italian
examples illustrated in 160 [140] and 161. These examples, which are
reproduced from rubbings, exhibit the characteristic stone cut forms very
clearly. A Gothic Uncial alphabet redrawn from a German brass is
illustrated in 162. The group of specimens from 154 to 159 exhibit the
chronological growth of the Uncial capitals, which were used, as has been
said, with the various small Blackletter forms, though they were also used
alone to form words, as is shown in 160. The historical progression in
these Uncial examples is most interesting; and, allowing for the variations
of national temperament, traces itself connectedly enough. Figures 154 to
159 are pen forms, while 160 to 163 are from stone or metal-cut letters.
Figures 164 to 166 show alphabets of Gothic pen-drawn capitals that will
serve as a basis for such adaptations as are shown in the modern examples
152 and 153. Figures 167 to 169 show a more elaborate but an excellent and
typical variety of this form of capital, which is one of the most beautiful
and distinctive of Gothic letters. Shorn of its fussy small lines the main
skeleton is eminently virile; and, though extremely difficult to draw, it
cannot be surpassed for certain limited uses. Figures 170 to 173 exhibit a
group of Gothic capitals more or less allied in character and all pen
letters. Figures 174 to 176 show forms similar to those of the previous
group, but adapted for use in various materials.
[Illustration: 151. MODERN GERMAN BLACKLETTER. WALTER PUTTNER]
[Illustration: 152. MODERN GERMAN BLACKLETTER. OTTO HUPP]
[Illustration: 153. MODERN BLACKLETTER. EDWIN A. ABBEY]
Figures 177 to 179 show some English Gothic letters, the last being that
employed so effectively in the pen-drawn page by Mr. Abbey, 153. Figures
180 to 184 illustrate various forms of Blackletter: 180 is from a German
brass, 182 illustrates an Italian pen form, and 183 and 184 show [141]
Blackletters drawn by Albrecht Dürer, the latter being the simplest and
strongest variant in this style. It is the same letter that is employed to
show Blackletter construction in diagram 144. Figure 185 shows the
well-known and unusually beautiful initials designed by Dürer. Figure 186
is a Blackletter from an English brass, although the letter forms in this
example, as well as those of many other English brasses, may perhaps have
been derived from Flanders, as many of the finest early Continental brasses
were imported from the Netherlands.
The Italian forms of Gothic Blackletters are generally too fussy and
finikin to be of practical value for modern use, though they often possess
suggestive value. The letters shown in 182 are fairly typical of the
characteristic Blackletter minuscules of Italy. Figure 187 exhibits an
example of beautiful lettering in the Italian style, redrawn from a rubbing
of an inlaid floor-slab in Santa Croce, Florence. The omission of capitals
in long, confined lines is typical of many Blackletter inscriptions, as may
be seen in 149, as well as in the plate just mentioned.
In view of the number of fine specimens of Blackletter which have been
handed down to us, it has been deemed [142] unnecessary to reproduce many
examples of its employment by modern draughtsmen. The pages by Mr. Goodhue,
188-9, have already been referred to; and figure 150 shows a very
consistent and representative use of similar letter forms by the same
designer. Figures 190 and 191 illustrate two modern varieties of
Blackletter, one very simple and the other very ornate. The small cuts, 151
and 152, show excellent modern Blackletters; the first, of unusually narrow
form, being by Herr Walter Puttner, and the second, with its flourished
initials, by Herr Otto Hupp.
[Illustration: 154. UNCIAL GOTHIC INITIALS. 12TH CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 155. UNCIAL GOTHIC INITIALS. 13TH CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 156. UNCIAL GOTHIC CAPITALS. 14TH CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 157. UNCIAL GOTHIC CAPITALS. 14TH CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 158. ITALIAN UNCIAL GOTHIC CAPITALS. 14TH CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 159. SPANISH UNCIAL GOTHIC CAPITALS. JUAN DE YCIAR, 1550]
[Illustration: 160. VENETIAN WALL PANEL, 15TH CENTURY. FROM RUBBING]
[Illustration: 161. VENETIAN GOTHIC CAPITALS. 15TH CENTURY. F.C.B.]
[Illustration: 162. GERMAN UNCIAL CAPITALS, FROM A BRASS. 14TH CENTURY]
[Illustration: 163. FRENCH AND SPANISH UNCIAL CAPITALS. 14TH CENTURY]
[Illustration: 164. ITALIAN GOTHIC INITIALS. G. A. TAGLIENTE, 16TH CENTURY]
[Illustration: 165. ITALIAN GOTHIC INITIALS. G. A. TAGLIENTE, 16TH CENTURY]
[Illustration: 166. ITALIAN GOTHIC INITIALS. GIOV. PALATINO, 16TH CENTURY]
[Illustration: 167. GERMAN GOTHIC INITIALS. P. FRANK, 1601]
[Illustration: 168. GERMAN GOTHIC INITIALS. P. FRANK, 1601]
[Illustration: 169. GERMAN GOTHIC INITIALS. P. FRANK, 1601]
[Illustration: 170. ITALIAN GOTHIC CAPITALS. 16TH CENTURY]
[Illustration: 171. ENGLISH GOTHIC CAPITALS. 16TH CENTURY]
[Illustration: 172. ITALIAN GOTHIC CAPITALS. 17th CENTURY]
[Illustration: 173. GERMAN GOTHIC CAPITALS. 17th CENTURY]
[Illustration: 174. GERMAN GOTHIC CAPITALS. FROM MANUSCRIPTS]
[Illustration: 175. GERMAN GOTHIC CAPITALS. FROM MANUSCRIPTS]
[Illustration: 176. GERMAN GOTHIC CAPITALS. FROM MANUSCRIPTS]
[Illustration: 177. ENGLISH GOTHIC TEXT LETTERS. FROM MANUSCRIPTS]
[Illustration: 178. ENGLISH GOTHIC LETTERS. 15th CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 179. ENGLISH GOTHIC LETTERS. 15th CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 180. GERMAN BLACKLETTERS FROM A BRASS. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 181. GERMAN BLACKLETTERS. 16th CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 182. ITALIAN BLACKLETTERS. G. A. TAGLIENTE, 16th CENTURY]
[Illustration: 183. GERMAN BLACKLETTERS. ALBRECHT DÜRER, 16th CENTURY]
[Illustration: 184. GERMAN BLACKLETTERS. ALBRECHT DÜRER, 16th CENTURY]
[Illustration: 185. GERMAN GOTHIC CAPITALS. ALBRECHT DÜRER, 16th CENTURY]
[Illustration: 186. ENGLISH GOTHIC BLACKLETTERS. 15th CENTURY. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 187. ITALIAN INLAID BLACKLETTERS. FROM A RUBBING. F. C. B.]
[Illustration: 188. MODERN AMERICAN BLACKLETTERS. B. G. GOODHUE]
[Illustration: 189. MODERN AMERICAN BLACKLETTERS. B. G. GOODHUE]
[Illustration: 190. MODERN GERMAN BLACKLETTERS. AFTER JULIUS DIEZ]
[Illustration: 191. MODERN GERMAN BLACKLETTERS, FLOURISHED. F. C. B.]
[182]
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