Chiaroscuro. Oltre l'angolo di scrittura (secoli I a.C.-VI d.C.)

After a critical review of past contributions about the writing angle in Greco-Roman times, the authors study the relationship between the latter and the contrast between thick and thin strokes (the so-called “chiaroscuro”) in the rustic capital and uncial. In both scriptures, variations in the “chiaroscuro” show that this was related to aesthetic and functional and not rigidly regulated by a predetermined and stable writing angle. The prevalence of a “chiaroscuro” oblique or vertical perhaps depends on graphic trends that belong to different areas of production, and certainly not to different periods; also sometimes it is possible to observe reciprocal influences between Latin and Greek writing. Finally, the authors open up new perspectives on the origin of the rustic capital and on the transition from an uncial “old style” to an uncial “new style”.