Arrighi, L
Name: Ludovico degli Arrighi
Achievements: 16th-century Italian calligrapher and printer who perfected the “cancellaresca corsiva” font.
Born: early 16th c; Vicenza, Italy
Died: Unknown
Field & Discipline: Art; Industry; Printing; Calligraphy; Printer
Language: Italian and Latin
Father: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Education: Unknown
Life & Times:
Thanks to [worked for] Trissino,* Arrighi was probably in Rome in 1510 because that December a publication appeared with his name on it. He was certainly there by 1517, when he produced a Latin version of Aristotle’s “Ethics.”
In 1520 came the transcription of a Missal for Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici. In 1524 he produced first Trissino’s “Oration to the Venetian Doge,” and then other works on lettering and language by Trissino.Between 1523 and 1526 he produced a series of instruction manuals on the cancelleresca corsiva font.
This was the font which Arrighi helped to make the standard in the late Renaissance. It developed during the preceding century out of the antica corsiva handwriting of the
papal chancery.
Arrighi’s cancellaresca corsiva ranges from contrasts of Gothic-like thick and thin strokes, to a fine, delicate forms. Lively but disciplined, responsive to various cuts of nib and speeds of movement, the cancellaresca corsiva has been revived under the popular name “italic” in the 20th century for personal use."
Nothing certain in known about Arrighi after 1526
Extra Connections: His work related to that of [work related to] Niccoli* and [work related to] Manutius*
Assessment: His development of italic put fine print into life.
Oneliner: Lodovico Arrighi, who invented italic
Bibliography:
- Dizionario Biografico Degli Italiani, Instituto dell’ Enciclopedia Italiana, Roma, 1990.
- Encyclopedia Britannica.