Ludovico Vicentino degli Arrighi

His experience in calligraphy led him to create an influential pamphlet on handwriting in 1522 called La Operina, which was the first book devoted to writing the italic script known as chancery cursive.

He turned to printing in 1524 and designed his own italic typefaces for his work, which were widely emulated.

His last printing was dated shortly before the sack of Rome (1527), during which he was probably killed.

His letterforms were revived in the 20th century by designers such as Stanley Morison, Frederic Warde, Robert Slimbach (for example Adobe Jenson italic) and Jonathan Hoefler (in his Requiem Text typeface.)

The italic script presented in La Operina was also revived in the 20th century with Alfred Fairbank's book A Handwriting Manual (1932), Getty-Dubay italic script, and the work of Gunnlaugur SE Briem.

Arrighi's italic typeface design, c. 1523. The type is based on the Renaissance Italian handwritten script known as "cursiva humanistica". It inspired later French italic types.
Page from La Operina , 1522. From the Rosenwald Collection , Library of Congress.
Page from Il Modo de Temperare le Penne , 1523. From the Rosenwald Collection , Library of Congress.
From La Operina , 1522