Beginnings of the Imprimerie Royale

After the Wars of Religion, the exile of many reformed printers and typographers, and the dispersal of a considerable amount of material, including the best punches of the Renaissance Romans, the creation of the Imprimerie Royale by Cardinal de Richelieu in 1640 stemmed from a desire to re-establish the authority and prestige of the State in this field. However, the acquisition of quality typefaces was uncertain. Despite the fact that the Le Bé foundry kept Garamond punches, the founders of the Imprimerie Royale decided to acquire some of their typefaces from Jean Jannon, “imprimeur de l'Académie”, i.e. the Protestant university of Sedan. Jannon, in fact, produced a typeface in the Garamond register, and published a specimen, the first of its kind in France, in 1621 [see Jean Jannon file]; his typefaces in very small sizes, which he called “sedanaise”, won him renown, and the Imprimerie Royale sought to acquire them, as well as large titling sizes.

Despite the quality of the Imprimerie Royale’s editions, the center of gravity of creative activity in letter design continued to shift from France to Holland, where printers and founders asserted their pre-eminence throughout the 17th century. One family of printers in particular, the Elzevirs, based in Leyden, dominated the century with the quality and diversity of their output.

The Virgil, Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera, was one of the first works to come off the presses of the Imprimerie Royale, in 1641. It was a prestigious publication in large format (35.9 x 23.5 cm), with Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) contributing the frontispiece image and a set of initials, all engraved by Claude Mellan (1598-1688). A copy was presented by Cardinal Mazarin to Queen Christine of Sweden.

Documents :

Bibliothèque de l'école Estienne.