Jean de Beaugrand’s 1604 Panchrestographie

La Panchrestographie, published in 1604 during the reign of Henri IV, was dedicated to his son, the Dauphin, future King Louis XIII. The work was written by Jean de Beaugrand, a master calligrapher who, from 1606, was responsible for teaching calligraphy to the Dauphin. It consists of a collection of fifty-four copper-engraved plates by Pierre Firens, letters to dedicatees and addresses to readers. It features twenty-three models of French or financial scripts, four of which are known as “brisées”, and twenty-seven of Italian scripts. Beaugrand’s aim is to demonstrate and comment on his art: he performs feats in the arabesque register, and addresses readers for guidance and advice. He gives details on choosing alphabets, classifying them, etc., as well as indicating how to trim and hold the quill, whether right- or left-handed. According to him, writing is an art in its own right. This work represents a sort of link between the mannerism of 16th-century Italian writing, exemplified by Arrighi, Tagliente and Palatino, and the art of the French calligraphers and engravers who were to dominate the 17th century. The letters to the King, the Queen and “Monseigneur le Dauphin” are set in fine italic type, and the address to the readers features a well-crafted garalde letter.

Document : Estienne School Library.