Glossary Term Definition
A round form of blackletter script developed in southern Europe, with wider, more open letterforms than textura.
Definition
Rotunda is a round form of blackletter that developed primarily in Italy and southern Europe during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Unlike the angular, compressed textura of northern Europe, rotunda features wider, rounder letterforms with gentler curves and less pronounced vertical emphasis. It served as the dominant book hand in Italy before the humanist revival of the roman letter. Rotunda's relative openness and legibility made it a bridge between the blackletter tradition and the humanist minuscule.
Source
No access — Robert Bringhurst — p. 344:
A rounded blackletter. Rotunda was the standard bookhand in Italy in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.