Thy Mother's Glass.jpeg (Copy)
WS Sonnet 18.jpeg (Copy)
Serenade to Music.jpeg (Copy)
Phantasimes.jpeg (Copy)
0. Barry Quote.jpg (Copy)
Thy Mother's Glass.jpeg (Copy)
WS Sonnet 18.jpeg (Copy)
Serenade to Music.jpeg (Copy)
Phantasimes.jpeg (Copy)
0. Barry Quote.jpg (Copy)

Secretary Hand with Barry Morentz - November 15th, 2026

$80.00
sold out

Evolving from the Court Hands of the Middle Ages, Secretary script was widely used in Elizabethan England and into the 17th century when it slowly became supplanted by Italic. Mainly used in business, it also evolved into complex, sometimes esoteric forms for official court documents to prevent forgery.

We will begin writing the more recognizable Batarde forms and then examine and practice the unusual, occasionally mystifying variations characteristic of Secretary in its most extreme manifestations. Applying some of these features to your everyday Italic will yield a more personal and idiosyncratic style that goes beyond a standard Italic.

Spend the day in the court of Queen Elizabeth I (herself a fine practitioner of Italic in her younger years) while at the same time creating your own Age of Exploration!

Level: Intermediate - Advanced; would require a working knowledge of Italic script.

Dates: November 15th, 2026 (Sunday)
Time: 10-4pm (New York Time)
Price: $80
Member Price: $60
Max Enrollment: 15 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 701A

Supply List:

  • favorite pens including one small and one large nib (e.g., Mitchell #5 & Mitchell #2 or equivalent)

    • favorite ink (I prefer Moon Palace), or ink stick & grinding stone

    • layout bond paper at least 11x14

    • T-square, ruler, HB pencil

    • a favorite quotation

    • OPTIONAL: tube of dark red gouache, mixing brush, palette

**In order to save time, you are urged to line, before the workshop, a few sheets of layout paper at a scale of 2 pen widths per line with an interlinear spacing of 5 pen widths. Batarde, aka Secretary, is wider than most formal alphabets and written at an unusually low pen height. Alternatively, you can create a lined template to slip under each page.

Waitlist signups will be notified in order if a space becomes available.

Evolving from the Court Hands of the Middle Ages, Secretary script was widely used in Elizabethan England and into the 17th century when it slowly became supplanted by Italic. Mainly used in business, it also evolved into complex, sometimes esoteric forms for official court documents to prevent forgery.

We will begin writing the more recognizable Batarde forms and then examine and practice the unusual, occasionally mystifying variations characteristic of Secretary in its most extreme manifestations. Applying some of these features to your everyday Italic will yield a more personal and idiosyncratic style that goes beyond a standard Italic.

Spend the day in the court of Queen Elizabeth I (herself a fine practitioner of Italic in her younger years) while at the same time creating your own Age of Exploration!

Level: Intermediate - Advanced; would require a working knowledge of Italic script.

Dates: November 15th, 2026 (Sunday)
Time: 10-4pm (New York Time)
Price: $80
Member Price: $60
Max Enrollment: 15 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 701A

Supply List:

  • favorite pens including one small and one large nib (e.g., Mitchell #5 & Mitchell #2 or equivalent)

    • favorite ink (I prefer Moon Palace), or ink stick & grinding stone

    • layout bond paper at least 11x14

    • T-square, ruler, HB pencil

    • a favorite quotation

    • OPTIONAL: tube of dark red gouache, mixing brush, palette

**In order to save time, you are urged to line, before the workshop, a few sheets of layout paper at a scale of 2 pen widths per line with an interlinear spacing of 5 pen widths. Batarde, aka Secretary, is wider than most formal alphabets and written at an unusually low pen height. Alternatively, you can create a lined template to slip under each page.

Please note that registration will close on November 1st, 2026.

Cancellation policy: Cancellations are allowed at any time, however refunds will only be issued if there is a waitlisted student who will fill your place.
Sickness: If you are registered and need to miss one class due to sickness (we’d rather you stay home and rest!), you are welcome to sit in a future session of the same workshop as we will repeat these introductory classes.
Member pricing: Please use the code sent to your email at checkout. Can’t find it? Check out anyway and email us and we will refund the difference.

About the Instructor:

BARRY MORENTZ was motivated by his love for language and handwriting to study calligraphy. After 46 years he remains fascinated and challenged by the power and beauty of letterforms to dramatically convey the emotional power of a text. Shakespeare, Danté, and the music of Brahms, Elgar, Verdi and Wagner continually inspire his calligraphic interpretations.

In his midtown Manhattan residence he creates calligraphic works and hand-made books, boxes, and portfolios. He began his formal calligraphic studies, primarily with Sheila Waters, in 1977, and eventually with Gottfried Pott, Hermann Zapf, and numerous other calligraphic luminaries. A highlight of his education was paleographic studies in Rome and the Vatican Library.

He has taught at 5 international conferences and has led workshops in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, and throughout the US and Canada. In 2017 he presented an extensive talk and demonstration at the Pen Museum in Birmingham, UK. When not slumped over his writing desk he spends his time in gourmet food shops and cooking while bombing out on Wagnerian opera.