Primary Source Sets

German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was known for his intricate engravings, prints, and paintings. Dürer’s 1525 geometry treatise Underweysung der Messing mit dem Zirckel und Richtscheyt offered readers geometrically precise models of each letter of the alphabet. Dürer hoped that “painters,” “goldsmiths,” and “woodcarvers” would use his examples to create beautiful and anatomically near-perfect letters. This is a 1924 reproduction of Dürer’s alphabet.