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y

Date: 1527

Designer:
Ludovico Arrighi da Vicenza

Foundry:
Aldus Manutius founder and printer

Location:
Rome, Italy

Current equivalent:
MT Blado

See also:
Centaur Italic by Frederic Warde (shown above)

Technologies:
Metal (foundry)
Postscript

Famous for:
The definitive renaissance italic letterform.

Applications: Book Publishing & General Purpose Text Setting

Ubiquity:
Not widely used

Category:
Venetian Italic

Stress: Angled
Serifs: Calligraphic

Design History:
da Vicenza was a writing master and engraver whose letterforms were cut into type for the Aldine press of Aldus Manutius. MT Blado is the italic companion to Monotype Poliphilus, revived in the 1920s by Stanley Morison and based on an italic cut by Ludovico Arrighi around 1526. Centaur Italic is modelled on the same Arrighi italic by Bruce Rogers, as is Edward Johnston's italic type for the Cranach Press, 1931.

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