Histoire critique du Vieux Testament /
A 1685 French work of biblical criticism by Richard Simon, printed in Rotterdam by R. Leers and aimed at scholars and readers of the Old Testament. Its four pictures are decorative woodcut initial letters, a Q, an I, an A and an O, each set in a frame of scrolling foliage, flowers and berries with a bold serif capital at the centre. A designer could draw on their dense, hand-cut ornamental borders and the contrast between heavy letterforms and fine vine-like filigree.
