A type specimen from 1787 showing the typefaces available from Johan Christopher Frenckell’s print shop.Frenckell, 1787.
The typeface that inspired Aura Antikva is listed in a few different sizes, both roman and cursive. They are labeled Grofva Miſsal Antiqua, Grofva Canon Antiqua N:o 3, Grofva Canon Curſiv N:o 3, Dubbel Mittel Antiqua, and Dubbel Mittel Curſiv.
The design originates with Lübeck printer Johan Nicolaus Thun around 1704Thun, 1724. It arrived in Turku in 1729 and was widely used in the printed dissertations produced at the Academiæ Aboensis until around 1770. In 1827, the university printing press and all its material was lost in the Great Fire of Turku.Perälä, 2000.
Frenckell, J. C. (1787). Aftryck på de stilar, rössier, tekn och vignetter, som finnas uti magister Johan Christopher Frenckells boktryckeri i Åbo [Type Specimen. Turku. Retrieved 20 September 2026 from doria.fi
Perälä, A. (2000). Suomen typografinen atlas: Finsk typografisk atlas: Typographischer Atlas Finnlands: 1642–1827 [Finnish Typographic Atlas: 1642–1827], vol. 1. Helsingin yliopiston kirjaston.
Thun, J. N. (1724). Untitled appendix. In Neu-verbessertes Auf der löbl. Kunst-Buchdruckerey Nützlich zu gebrauchendes Format-Buch. Samuel Struck Verlag.