Creator
Phillippe Grandjean et al.
Title
Description et Perfection des Arts et Métiers, des Artes Consruire les Caractères.
Coverage
Paris
Publisher
André Jammes
Date
1961
Subject
Folio
Description
Under Louis XIV committees were set up for the study of many disciplines, including the Bignon Commission, charged with the investigation of the techniques used in various arts. In 1692 the commission analyzed the design of letters, rendering them with ruler and compass over a grid of 2,304 squares: 36 columns of 64 rows each. These designs were engraved onto copperplates by Louis Simonneau. The plates still exist at the Imprimerie Nationale; they were reprinted for the portfolio exhibited here.
The romain du roi was a proprietary type for the Imprimerie Royale. The rational, vertical shading and high stroke contrast formed a template which inspired punchcutters from Fournier to Bodoni.
The romain du roi was a proprietary type for the Imprimerie Royale. The rational, vertical shading and high stroke contrast formed a template which inspired punchcutters from Fournier to Bodoni.
Relation
LENDER: The Grolier Club