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'Arte Subtilissima, por la Qual se Enseña a Escreuir Perfectamente' (The most delicate art of teaching a perfect hand), 1550 by Juan de Icíar (Juan de Yciar) with (?wood) engravings by Jean de Vingles from Lyon is available online from Biblioteca Complutense at the University of Madrid. [click on 'Láminas' in the margin for links to the illustrated pages]

Juan de Yciar was the first in Spain to publish a copybook, the Recopilacion subtilissima (1548; “Most Delicate Compilation”). Two years later he published his Arte Subtilissima (1550; “The Most Delicate Art”)

Basque painter and mathematician and the most important calligrapher of the Spanish Renaissance
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a couple of small quotes by Icíar

"There are some letters so unforthcoming that they refuse to enter into any sort of friendship or conversation with others" [..]
"other letters are naturally amiable and of good concord and do not deny their intimacy to any other letter".

Arte subtilissima d

Arte subtilissima a

Arte subtilissima

Arte subtilissima b

Arte subtilissima c

Arte subtilissima e

Arte subtilissima f

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Arte subtilissima i

Juan de Yciar calligraphy copybook

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