Roman Inscriptory Fonts
Exploring his favorite historical period, Michael Scarpitti has developed a special collection of fonts based on Roman inscriptory lettering and calligraphy. You may have already seen a few of his fonts on our featured fonts page. While more Roman fonts are planned for the future, with the latest releases we now have enough fonts to release them as a package at a special price.
What we think of as Roman Capitals (the type found on the Trajan column) are really rather rare. Much more common was the Rustica, a less formal, rather free flowing sort of letter that was easier to write. Sometimes inscriptions would include both styles. Vespasiano features both types of lettering. It comes from an inscription dated May 24, AD 70. It was found intact in 1914 at Rome, in the Viale Trastevere, at a construction site, and bears the name of the emperor Vespasian who ruled from AD 69 to 79.
De Bellis is based on the sole surviving fragment of a lost Latin work, de Bellis Macedonicis, and is the first of Michael Scarpitti ancient Roman fonts to come from a parchment. The sample it is based on is the only surviving example of Roman Literary Cursive, which has elements of both rustica and uncial lettering. The date is uncertain, but probably 2nd-4th centuries AD. The original sample was written with a reed pen held at about a 35 degree angle.
Michael’s Roman fonts are based on historical sources from different eras of the Roman Empire and are extraordinarily accurate to the details of the different lettering styles which they represent. These are not modernized abstractions of popular styles like Rustica and Roman Uncial, but grittier, more interesting designs derived directly from ancient manuscripts and inscriptions. This is Roman lettering as it was actually done, not a contemporary designer’s reinterpretation.
Corbei Uncial is a calligraphic font based on lettering in the 5th century Latin gospel manuscript known as the Codex Corbiensis. It features some of the characteristics of more familiar uncial forms of the early middle ages, but also retains elements of earlier Latin lettering styles. One interesting feature is the broken nature of many of the letter forms, which are composed of multiple distinct, separate pen strokes.
Praitor is based on a devotional inscription to the goddess Diana found a short distance from Rome in 1887. It is an early style from before 100 BC and has some characteristics of Etruscan lettering. It’s a rough, strong font which works very well for distinctive titles.
Pomponianus is based on lettering from Roman inscriptions. Pomponianus comes from a 4th century inscription found in North Africa. It is an attractive example of early uncial lettering. Uncial inscriptions are quite uncommon, because although the style was well suited for writing on vellum, the curved letters made it more difficult to carve in stone.
Roman lettering styles have a unique and ageless look which still appeals to the modern eye. The complete collection of Michael’s 8 Roman fonts is available for only $59. It can be delivered by mail or immediate download with an online purchase To order online just CLICK HERE to order online.
You can get a feel for these fonts by trying out the demo version of Falconis in zip archive format and usable on Windows or Mac OSX.
Related posts:
comments
2 Responses to “Roman Inscriptory Fonts”
Leave a Reply
Our new Art Deco font collection includes a remarkable selectiion of fonts from the design movements of the 1920s and 1930s, focusing on the kinds of fonts which were generally associated with the decorative arts movement which developed out of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Our Wild West font collection features 14 fonts based on designs from the classic days of the American West (1870-1890). They are typical of the type and lettering styles used in signs, circulars, posters and newspapers during that era. The selection includes both decorative, display and text fonts. All the fonts are historically accurate and they are not available from any other source. While they are basically fonts of the Victorian era, they represent a subset of the typefaces popular in that period particularly slanted to the environmnet of the wild west, frontier newspapers and wild west shows.
The art of the Pre-Raphaelites recreated classical and legendary themes, fascination with architectural elements and realistic drapery, and the use of models who fit a particular style and appearance, usually with thick, curly hair and voluptuous figures. Our Pre-Raphaelite collection features select images from the most prominent artists of the movement in high-resolution suitable for use in print.
Or latest collection based on one of Walter Crane's childrens book is our comprehensive presentation of The Baby’s Opera, Crane's compilation of childrens songs (including music and lyrics) with detailed illustrations, hand lettering and clever decorations on every page. Many of the designs and motifs can easily be extracted for use in your own designs.
You've got to have text fonts, so wny not make them interesting and unique rather than the same old boring set that come with every computer. Our Text Fonts Collection has more variety and more style than you'll find anywhere else.
Howard Pyle was one of the most renowned illustrators of the 19th century. His work was widely published in adventure novels, magazines and romances. He was the founder of the Brandywine school and artists colony in Chadd's Ford Pennsylvania, where he taught artists like N. C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover and Thornton Oakley their craft. Our Pyle collection includes a large selection of Pyle's art and designs plus original fonts based on his hand lettering.
In the Middle Ages the demand for written documents required new and better forms of writing, styles which were readable, consistent, efficient to produce, and sometimes decorative as well. This package features a selection of fonts and art based on designs from the Middle Ages, emphasizing the years from 1100 to 1400. The 25 fonts include versions of the major popular lettering styles of this period and the art includes beautiful borders, frames and other decorative elements based on medieval designs.
Howard Pyle’s illustrated edition of Tennyson’s Lady of Shalott is probably the single greatest expression of book design in the American arts and crafts movement of the late 19th century. This early Pyle work combines his vivid illustrative style with exceptional decoration and lettering into a modern illuminated masterpiece. Our Lady of Shalott CD package has every page from the book in high resolution format, including the decorated verses, the full-page illustrations and the embellished titles and flyleaves. It also includes extracted and instantly usable versions of the initials, illustrations background patterns, borders and frames from the book.
This collection brings together all of our best fonts based on Art Nouveau period designs into an extensive collection, with over 30 unique fonts, including text, title faces and even decorative initials. This includes new fonts created just for this package plus classics in the Art Nouveau tradition. It also features a bonus collection of frames and borders based on designs from magazines and books of the period. Altogether it makes the ultimate resource for Art Nouveau style design.
About once a year we release a special sampler package with a collection of selected fonts and art from our most recent and forthcoming packages, including some unique items not available anywhere else, all brought together as an overview of what we've been up to at the Scriptorium during the past year at a special, extremely low price. This latest sampler has four complete new fonts, 15 demo fonts and a special selection of art and graphics which includes a special set of illustrations of Celtic mythology by Katherine Cameron.
This collection presents calligraphy and art based on the traditions of historic Germanic cultures. It draws on the broad scope of early Germanic design, from the pre-Christian era through the early middle ages, including not just Scandinavia, but other elements of Germanic culture from the Franks to the Saxons to the Normans and beyond. The main component is a collection of historic fonts which is complemented by a unique set of historic borders and motifs, plus art based on Viking myth and legend.
A collection of our best fonts based on gothic type and late medieval calligraphy. It covers the range from the historical styles in which gothic printing had its inspiration to the ornate heights of complex gothic fonts from 19th century Germany. This includes fonts in the style sometimes called 'Old English', as well as what calligraphers sometimes call 'Black Letter'. If you like your fonts dark, angular and complex, this is your dream collection.









[...] Fontcraft: Scriptorium Fonts, Art and Design var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname="Roman Inscriptory Fonts"; [...]
[...] Roman Inscriptory Fonts [...]