De ligno sancto commentarium : in quo praecipuae qualitates eius & facultates omnes exacta diligentia exprimuntur, ex illisq[ue] lignum quoddam, quod nuper in Italiam delatum est, pseudolignum sanctum esse, & nullo modo verum, eius fautoribus accurato examine demonstratur. /Demetrio Canevario philosopho, et medico patricio genuensi auctore
A 1602 Latin medical treatise on guaiacum wood by the Genoese physician Demetrio Canevari, printed in Rome by Guglielmo Facciotti for a learned readership of physicians and philosophers. Its two pictures are printed woodcut historiated initials: an ornate letter S with foliate scrollwork and a letter F framed by acanthus leaves and small fruit, both set against dense black-letter text. A designer could draw on their bold black-and-white interlace, leafy borders and sturdy letter forms for display lettering.
![Picture 1 of 2 from De ligno sancto commentarium : in quo praecipuae qualitates eius & facultates omnes exacta diligentia exprimuntur, ex illisq[ue] lignum quoddam, quod nuper in Italiam delatum est, pseudolignum sanctum esse, & nullo modo verum, eius fautoribus accurato examine demonstratur. /Demetrio Canevario philosopho, et medico patricio genuensi auctore (1602), leaf 40](https://img.insideoutlibrary.com/img/200/ia-delignosanctocom00cane-40-0.webp)
![Picture 2 of 2 from De ligno sancto commentarium : in quo praecipuae qualitates eius & facultates omnes exacta diligentia exprimuntur, ex illisq[ue] lignum quoddam, quod nuper in Italiam delatum est, pseudolignum sanctum esse, & nullo modo verum, eius fautoribus accurato examine demonstratur. /Demetrio Canevario philosopho, et medico patricio genuensi auctore (1602), leaf 120](https://img.insideoutlibrary.com/img/200/ia-delignosanctocom00cane-120-1.webp)