Italic hand developed in Italy, hence the name of the script, during the early Renaissance period of the 15th century. The italic hand was adopted by Pope Nicholas V for the papal chancery.

Today, italic is favored by modern scribes as a flowing script that can be created swiftly and requires fewer lifts of the calligraphy pen. Italic differs from many other hands, with its oval-shape and forward slope. It is written using a pen angle of between 35 and 45 degrees, remaining held at a constant angle.

Italic is a form of calligraphy that closely relates to handwriting, as the letters are formed with a rhythmic up and down movement and notable by one stroke developing from where the last left off. That being said there is also a certain level of artistic merit to the hand and those who become proficient at it would want to add the skill to their artist resumes.

This is a formal script with regulated letter shapes. The “a” and “n” provide the basis for most letters in the alphabet. The connecting strokes should spring from the base and join at the head as closely as possible.

Italic Hand