Venetia, citta nobilissima et singolare : descritta in XIIII. libri
Venetia, citta nobilissima et singolare is a 1581 Venetian guidebook by Francesco Sansovino, printed in Venice by Iacomo Sansovino for readers wanting a description of the city. Its pictures are small woodcut historiated and ornamental initials, framed in dense hatched borders with scrolling foliage, a plain letter I, a large A, and a decorative L with a figure. A designer could borrow the compact framed-initial format and the contrast of white letterforms against hatched grounds.
