As far as I can see there is no raised and burnished gesso leaf-gilding in this book. It was then polished under pressure with a burnisher. In contrast, the gold letters on various colored backgrounds in the text have been painted much more thinly with a brush. Slightly raised and polished title lettering shown with painted initial letters. The decorator has experienced difficulty in lettering very fine details using a brush and has applied the gold more sparingly at speed.
Legibility is founded on familiarity.
In so doing the scribe completed the circle begun when typefounders first imitated what was familiar in the 1450s by copying the gothic scripts handwritten in the scriptoria of Mainz. Text showing the tendency of the scribe's moving pen to connect letters. Look for the scribe's whims and stumbles. The humanity comes through, transcending the pen's intention and blending perfectly with the spirit of the artist's brush. Donald Jackson is one of the world's leading calligraphers.