Typophile - Egyptian slab serif - Comments

Thankyou very much James. So

James Clough — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:51:35 -0800

Thankyou very much James. So the lottery bill was on your blog and never was a part of this discussion. Is that correct? Obviously apart from the blog (for which I have boundless admiration) this image greatly enriches the present discussion. And what a charming and highly interesting piece of ephemeral printing it is too. Look at the pound sign (like some of the pre-euro Italian Lira signs). I’ve never seen a lottery bill in two colours either. Justin really was quite a sleuth to have unearthed it.

James, you should be

James Mosley — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:09:23 -0800

James, you should be studying my update. This is what Justin Howes found in the British Library – somewhere. It is indeed a wood engraving, not type.

When I first read this

James Clough — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:54:34 -0800

When I first read this excellent discussion on Egyptian types I seem to remember an image of a lottery bill (or similar item) with wood engraved Egyptian letters which seems to have disappeared. Was this the first printed appearance of Egyptians? Was the date 1810? And what has happened to this rather important image? Perhaps it was in another discussion area... Can anyone help?

That plaque doesn’t look

Nick Shinn — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 13:14:30 -0800

That plaque doesn’t look right. Surely its architect would have done a better job of configuring the plaque to accomodate the general’s name.

Perhaps the monument was originally created for someone with a shorter name. (The fortunes of war...)

Another reason that the plaque looks like a revision is the naive quality of the lettering (note the “flipped” stress of De and A), compared to the sophistication of the other metalwork.

However, even if the plaque is later than the monument, it would be difficult to date without some form of historical documentation (such as a photo or engraving of the monument which showed the plaque).

At least it’s not Trajan or Bembo.

Triangular terminals in the

Maxim Zhukov — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 07:57:37 -0800

Triangular terminals in the Ц, Б, Yat’, Д, and the Ъ certainly feel archaic (see a sample of the ustav style below), but the M with is raised vertex, and, of course, the showy У look very much [post-]Petrine.

That’s a fine inscription,

James Mosley — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 00:20:56 -0800

That’s a fine inscription, Maxim. My knowledge of Russian letterforms is minimal, but is it possible that these dense, narrow and hardly-seriffed letters are a slight echo of the old pre-Peter letters? In other words, a bit of national sentiment? (Or they might just relate to the narrow German roman caps that were often used.)

there are plenty of other

Maxim Zhukov — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:34:49 -0800

there are plenty of other examples of sanserifs before 1816, ususally conveying some idea of an early and ‘primitive’ form.

Here is one curious example, dated 1799, from a monument to Field-Marshal Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky in St. Petersburg. I don’t think its style conveys an idea of an early and primitive form. Of course, this is not a real sans-serif, but it is not a serif either. And look at that super-tight letterspacing.

>But it’s nice to know you

James Mosley — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 23:03:02 -0800

>But it’s nice to know you are learning new things everyday

Quite right — That’s why I signed up to Typophile Forum. I’m learning all the time. And shedding some cherished prejudices.

I am happy to have sparked

missgiggles — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:58:18 -0800

I am happy to have sparked up the Egyptian slab serif, thanks to my massive essay i did on serifs! *rolling eyes*. But it’s nice to know you are learning new things everyday because a professional is never a professional as they learn someting new themselves everyday :D

Paradoxically, We really do

James Clough — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:38:06 -0800

Paradoxically, We really do get an idea of the size of the pyramid that was never constructed! James M’s technical error turns out to be beneficial. I’m new to this game but it looks like fun! And you all seem to be so informed and learned.

Thank you, all of you, for

James Mosley — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:49:12 -0800

Thank you, all of you, for getting me out of the technological hole I had dug myself into.

That splendid architectural example from Felbrigg is a nice reminder that sanserifs come and go at all times in all kinds of media.

Also in Norfolk, Felbrigg

Nick Shinn — Tue, 9 Jan 2007 11:04:54 -0800

Also in Norfolk, Felbrigg Hall, with a Jacobean sans serif in the balustrade.
GLORIA DEO IN EXCELSIS
(Photo ©Rupert Truman, NTPL)

Functionalism trumps allusion.

James, I’ve resaved it for

Miss Tiffany — Tue, 9 Jan 2007 09:29:45 -0800

James, I’ve resaved it for you.

What a wonderful

poms — Tue, 9 Jan 2007 09:25:27 -0800

What a wonderful typophile-thread! Thank you all.

Thomas

PS
James, you can download a 600px wide pict in png-Format –here–, if you want to update your posting.

James, if you resize your

William Berkson — Tue, 9 Jan 2007 08:05:33 -0800

James, if you resize your pictures in Photoshop to 600 pixels wide, keeping the proportions, then they will fit into the Typophile column.

Egyptian slab serif

missgiggles — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 04:33:58 -0800

Did the Egyptian slab serif in the late 19th century take inspiration after the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter? but wasn’t that in 1922 though? so how was it possible?