Abstract This poster offers a methodological reflection on whether it is possible to define and measure ductus (understood in the Italian palaeographic tradition as the speed and manner of execution of writing) in quantitative terms (RQ). In palaeography, ductus is a key analytical parameter, yet its assessment has traditionally relied on qualitative and subjective judgement, expressed through categories such as “posato”, “semi-posato”, “semi-corsivo”, and “corsivo”, which are often applied inconsistently. The study aims to develop a procedure that complements impressionistic description with a formalised system of measurement. To this end, the research adopts a data-driven approach based on the systematic collection and analysis of observable features. The case study consists of a dataset of 73 graphic samples from the sixteenth century, drawn from the female monastery of Corpus Domini in Bologna. The methodology focuses on three parameters considered particularly relevant for describing ductus: the number of external ligatures, the degree of inclination relative to the vertical axis, and the presence or absence of loops or doubled strokes. In line with Noordzij’s stroke theory, cursivity is treated as a dynamic property of writing, linked to the continuity of the gesture and the presence of returning movements. The data, collected using a web application developed within the “eManuSkript” project (University of Göttingen), were used to calculate, for each sample, an index of ductus defined as the weighted sum of the normalised values of the three parameters. Parameter weighting was determined by combining an analysis of data distribution with theoretical considerations. Ligatures were treated as the primary parameter, given their direct relation to the continuity of the writing gesture; inclination was considered a secondary indicator; and loops were used as a corrective feature, particularly to distinguish higher degrees of cursivity from intermediate ones. The weights are currently being refined. Based on these values, a four-level ductus scale was established. The results show a satisfactory agreement between the algorithmic classification and traditional palaeographic assessment. The model represents a first attempt to quantify ductus, although it remains provisional and partly subjective, as it reflects a specific interpretation of cursivity and relies on a selected set of parameters. Once refined on the present dataset, the model will need to be tested on other corpora of contemporary scripts in order to assess its replicability. Bibliography: Bartoli, Marco. Caterina la santa di Bologna. Bologna: Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna, 2003. Casamassima, Emanuele. Tradizione corsiva e tradizione libraria della scrittura latina del Medioevo. Roma: Gela Editrice, 1988. Cherubini, Paolo, and Alessandro Pratesi. Paleografia latina: L’avventura grafica del mondo occidentale. Città del Vaticano: Scuola Vaticana di Paleografia, Diplomatica e Archivistica, 2010. Derolez, Albert. The Palaeography of Gothic Manuscript Books: From the Twelfth to the Early Sixteenth Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Dorofeeva, Anna, Jeremy Thompson, Mohamed Basuony, Yiyang Huang, Nuray Haskilic, Zhiling Dong, Peter Evans, and Aleyna Yildiz. eManuSkript: Digital Tools for Palaeography. Zenodo, February 20, 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18999747. Mastruzzo, Antonino. “Problemi metodologici e prospettive di ricerca nello studio della tradizione grafica corsiva.” Litterae Caelestes 1, no. 1 (2005): 29–40. Noordzij, Gerrit. The Stroke: Theory of Writing. London: Hyphen Press, 2005. Proietti, Giorgia. “I manoscritti del Corpus Domini di Bologna. Ricognizione e descrizione del fondo conservato nel monastero.” Archivum Franciscanum Historicum 116 (2023): 395–486.
ARIANNA PASTORINI (Thu,) studied this question.