Figure 110
Canon Grosso: Stamperia Vaticana Specimen, Rome
From a copy in Harvard College Library (facsimile), Wellcome Collection (scan)
1628
For late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century types we have a valuable source-book in the 1628 specimen of the Stamperia Vaticana… The serious part of the work begins on leaf 27, where some heavy roman capitals of the oldest form of old style are shown. The character called canon grosso is a fine letter, with exceedingly long ascenders and descenders, resembling types cut by Garamond and some roman types used in Spain.