L'Arte di Scrivere tratta dal Dizionario d'Arti e Mestieri dell'Enciclopedia Methodica, Bound with: Giuseppe Bonatti. Exemplare di calligrafia italiana

Padova:  Nella Stamperia del Seminario, Appresso Niccoló Bettinelli, 1796.  Folio.  295 x 210 mm., [11 ½ x 8 ½ inches].  56 pp., with the single letter press leaf of "Avviso al lettore" bound after the title-page.  Illustrated with 15 engraved plates (13 of which are folding).

Bassano, 1802.  Folio. 19 engraved plates, (engraved title-page and plates numbered 3-20, without text).  This copy appears to be wanting plate 2.

Together two works bound in contemporary leather backed boards, decorated paper cover.  Very nice copy.

A separate printing taken from the First Italian edition of the text on handwriting prepared by Charles Paillasson for the Encyclopedia methodique, published, originally in Geneva 1780-1793 by C. J. Pankouche.   This copy is bound with Giuseppe Bonatti's engravings focusing on examples of the Italian methods and traditions.  Bonatti's work appears to be quite rare.  

Paillasson's text offers a history of the development of the art of writing, including the evolution of letter form, national traits of letter design, methods for executing proper letter form, and some bibliographical information on manuals published on the subject from the 16th century to the present time.  The last seven pages of the text contain explanations of how each letter, from a to z, should be formed for legibility and the method for accomplishing proper handwriting.

The plates have all been reengraved with Italian legends, by Bettinelli of Padua, a printer and engraver known for his stylish production of illustrated books and prints.  The first two plates illustrate a man and then a woman at writing desks, with images of pens, paper, ink wells, and the correct position of the fingers as they secure and guide the pen across paper.  These two plates are followed by thirteen folding plates illustrating the positioning of the pen on paper, rotunda and bastarde letter forms, exercises to gain the feel of the pen gliding across paper, complete alphabets of rotunda and bastarde, capital and lower case forms, and flourishes.  All the plates are beautifully engraved by Bettinelli's printing shop.

Bonatti's Esemplare uses the same designs as Franco Bertolotti's Caratteri, also published in 1802.  The engravings offer guidance for correct posture of the writer, proportion of letter size and spacing, ligatures, capitol and lower case letters, distance between the ascending and descending letter forms, antique forms, letter forms used by English calligraphers, modern calligraphic forms, and a few alphabets. 

Carlo Bonacina, Bibliografia delle Arti Scrittorie,  No. 1324.  David Becker, The Practice of Letters, No. 135.