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| The History of d | |
| The letter d is one which has undergone a number of variations on the basic form. The essential elements are a closed loop with an ascender, but this is subject to a range of treatments. |
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In the Old Roman square capitals, D has the familiar form as used in our modern capital letters. |
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In the rustic capital script, the shape is essentially the same. |
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The uncial D has a low and sharply backsloping ascender. |
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In this example of New Roman cursive, the minuscule d looks like a very cursive version of the modern familiar letter, written with a single curved stroke. |
| In the pre-Carolingian minuscule scripts or National Hands, there are several distinctive variants on d. | |
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In a 6th century half uncial script it has a plain upright ascender which terminates in a small foot. |
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In the specialised book script Corbie ab it is tall and upright, with the ascender extending downwards below the line. |
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An old northern Italian book hand of the 8th century has somewhat similar characteristics. The length of the descending element is variable in this script. |
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This example of Merovingian minuscule or Germanic book hand is similar, although the downward extension is not as prominent as in Corbie ab. One might call this a characteristic of Merovingian scripts in the broader sense. |
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The other named special Merovingian book hand, Luxeuil minuscule, displays two forms of d, one of which has a plain upright ascender and is mafe from two strokes. The other has a backsloping ascender as is made from a single pen stroke, recalling the uncial form. |
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The same two variants appear in the Visigothic script, but the top of the ascender on the straight form is adorned with a wedged top. |
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The formal script known as known as insular half uncial also displays the two forms. The short backsloping form has a particularly fat loop and a very short, almost horizontal, ascender, making it look very like its uncial predecessor. |
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This 10th century example of insular minuscule uses only the simple backsloping form. |
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Beneventan minuscule also employs the backsloping form. |
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Merovingian chancery script makes the ascender tall and curving and extends it below the line, as in the Merovingian book hands. |
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The old curialis of the papal chancery has a similar, but plain upright, form. |
| The Carolingian scripts generally used only the upright form of d. | |
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In a formal rounded version of Caroline minuscule the ascender is short with a small foot. |
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A sample from a forged 12th century monastic charter is similar, with a neatly wedged top. |
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The later papal curialis of the 11th century has exaggerated the height of the ascender, in the general manner of diplomatic scripts, but kept a simple upright form. |
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The diplomatic minuscule of the 12th century papal chancery has taken the backsloping form, but exaggerated the height and curve of the ascender and made the loop tiny. |
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The 12th century diplomatic minuscule of the Imperial German chancery has employed the upright form with verytall ascender and added some extraneous curls at the top. |
| In the formal Gothic book hands, the upright d was rapidly replaced by the backsloping d with a very short ascender. Combined with the angularity of the letter, this forms a distinctive Gothic d, although it harks back to the uncial d and its pre-Carolingian variants. | |
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This protogothic d from a 12th century French book hand retains the upright form of its Caroline minuscule predecessors, with strongly marked top and foot. |
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The 14th century Gothic rotunda version of the letter retains the roundness and upright form of the Caroline minuscule. |
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This 13th century Gothic textura d of medium grade has the simple backsloping form with a single stroke. |
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The very formal Gothic prescissa, produces a narrow, angular letter with almost no ascender at all. |
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A relatively informally written late 15th or early 16th Gothic textura script shows the short, backsloping, angular, standard Gothic form. |
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A 15th century Dutch language formal Gothic textura uses the same form, rather more carefully executed and with a little wedge at the top of the ascender. |
| With later cursive hands, there are various treatments of the ascenders, with loops of diverse shapes appearing. | |
 Histories of Individual Letters |
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History of Scripts |
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| What is Paleography? |
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