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John Seddon - Flourishes Sample
"I recently acquired a 1966 limited edition (250 copies) reproduction of John Seddon's 'The Penman's Paradise' (c. 1694/5). John Seddon, is my second most favorite pre-Bickham English penman after John Ayres. All that is known of Seddon is: he was born 1644, died 1700, and was the Master at John Johnson's Free Writing School at Priest's Court, Foster lane, London. He authored three copybooks during his life. Seddon was known for his fanciful illustrative flourishing of faces, beasts, cherubs, quills, etc, which he incorporated into his letterforms as well as his surrounding flourishing, as seen on this page from The Penman's Paradise.
Side note: I've seen these capital letters identified in one book as "Spencerian Gargoyle" letters, which is beyond absurd considering: 1) these characters were done 105 years before Spencer was even born, and 2) these are Italian Hand capitals following 17th century French tradition. A good example of why using proper historic calligraphy terminology is important."
~2014, Don Marsh~