An original large-format folio chromolithograph (Pl. 148) from Joseph Balthazar Silvestre’s landmark 19th-century work, Paléographie Universelle. Measuring 22" x 15", this plate is a masterpiece of early color printing and calligraphic reproduction. The plate illustrates a mid-11th-century Lombardic "broken" script (Lombard brisé) from the Monastère de la Cava, Naples, featuring a passage from St. Gregory the Great’s "Commentaria in Job." It is dominated by a stunning, large illuminated initial "Q" with intricate foliate and interlaced zoomorphic detailing. The lower section provides a reference alphabet of the period's unique letterforms. Identified by the credits "Silvestre scripsit" and "Girault sculpsit," this piece represents the pinnacle of 19th-century scholarship in the history of writing. The print is tipped onto its original heavy-stock backing paper with French descriptive letterpress. A rare, oversized specimen perfect for serious collectors of medievalism and fine printing. Tags Silvestre, Palaeography, Folio Plate, Chromolithograph, 1840s, Medieval Script, Illuminated Initial, St Gregory, Lombardic, Calligraphy Art, Manuscript, Antique Print, Girault, Naples Art, Rare Print