Romain du Roi

The Romain du Roi (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɛ̃ dy ʁwa], "King's roman") was a typeface developed in France beginning in 1692.

Felice Feliciano was the first to recreate geometrically the alphabet of roman inscriptions, and published it in 1463 as Alphabetum Romanum Codex Vaticanus 6852.

The Romain du Roi, however, because of its allegiance to the grid, shows a distinct shift in style, with an increased emphasis on verticality and increased contrast between thick and thin elements, a style that influenced the Transitional typefaces of Pierre Simon Fournier and John Baskerville.

The letterforms were the work of the Royal Academy's Bignon Commission as part of its investigation of French typography and printing for the compilation of the Description of the Arts and Trades of France.

The type was first used for Médailles sur les principaux événements du règne de Louis le Grand.