The Art of the Pen: Calligraphy from the Court of the Emperor Rudolf II

$14.95 at The Getty Museum.

Lee Hendrix and Thea Vignau-Wilberg The court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II produced nothing more amazing than the Mira calligraphiae monumenta, a flamboyant demonstration of two arts—calligraphy and miniature painting. The project began when Rudolf's predecessor commissioned the master calligrapher Georg Bocskay to create a model book of calligraphy. A preeminent scribe, Bocskay assembled a vast selection of contemporary and historic scripts. Many were intended not for practical use but for virtuosic…