num_pages: 64
description: Included in the magnificent pages of the Mira calligraphiae monumenta are two alphabets. Executed by an unknown hand, the first consists of Roman capital letters; the other is Gothic lower-case letters. As with the calligraphy of Bocskay described above, these alphabets were embellished by Joris Hoefnagel, a painter at the court of Rudolf II. In embellishing the alphabets, Hoefnagel employed symbols and heraldic objects--masks, animals, plants, obelisks--to convey the power and greatness of the emperor.An Abecedarium contains the thirty-eight pages from the Mira codex that display Hoefnagel's virtuosity in decorating the alphabets. Calligraphers, graphic artists, and all lovers of beautiful books will delight in Hoefnagel's artistry.
language: English
title: An Abecedarium: Illuminated Alphabets from the Court of the Emperor Rudolf II
titlecomplete: An Abecedarium: Illuminated Alphabets from the Court of the Emperor Rudolf II
genres: Reference, Design, Art History, Nonfiction, Art
ratings_count: 28
publisher: Oxford University Press