The Art of the Scribe

Pages from some of the most celebrated and exquisite medieval manuscripts in the British Library provide the inspiration for twenty-one practical art and calligraphy projects. Seven classic scripts are explored in turn by expert Patricia Lovett. She explains their characteristics, origins and development and creates exemplar diagrams to show basic letter shapes and the quill strokes required to produce them. Each chapter ends with three complementary projects based on aspects of the manuscripts’ design and layout shown in preceding pages; these range from simple to more technical.