lapidary style

lapidary style, in calligraphy, style of lettering characteristically used for inscription in marble or other stone by chisel strokes, as, for example, on Trajan’s Column in the Forum at Rome. The words of the inscription may be painted upon the stone slab first as a guide for the stonecutter, and the effect of his cut letters may be heightened by later painting or gilding them. The play of light and shade on the planes of the incised strokes enhances the precision of the technique. The lapidary style reached its zenith of elegance and restraint in the square roman capital alphabet.