Calligraphic manuscript, Augsburg, c.1720-30 (pen & ink on paper)

18th-Century Calligraphic Manuscript from the Augsburg area in Southern Germany. The manuscript represents an abecedarium starting with a large letter "A" and passing in order through the alphabet to "Z." The first page consists of a Dedication for this "Vorschrifft" in German gothic text written in red ink with black pen flourishes within a red and green rectangular border. It is surrounded by painted colored tulips and poppies connected by a dark green spray vine. Each of the following 25 pages comprises a large calligraphic gothic initial in red, blue, yellow or green. The large initials are highlighted with further intricate black ink floral designs and painted wash of reds, blues, yellows, greens and heavy China black. The final two pages consist of various upper and lower case alphabets in cursive, and the facing page displays a calligraphic Roman alphabet above a flourished Gothic alphabet and a lower case Gothic alphabet.