Interest in Arabic not only stemmed from a desire to gain access to Arabic scholarship but also was linked with increasing trade with the Middle East. Using the Arabic fonts crafted by Erpenius, the Leiden press produced many books. But France was also emerging as an incubator of Orientalist studies.
Arabic fonts and a french interest in Middle East.
Mavi Boncuk |
Antoine Vitré (1595–1674) was a French printer of the 17th century. He was the King's printer for Oriental languages (Linguarum Orientalium Regis Typographus). Antoine Vitré printed several works with Arabic font types, using the fonts developed by François Savary de Brèves. From 1625, Antoine Vitré used these types to print the Paris Polyglot Bible printed by Antoine Vitré and edited by Guy Michel Le Jay in 1645, which embraces the first printed texts of the Syriac Old Testament edited by Gabriel Sionita, the Book of Ruth by Abraham Ecchellensis, also a Maronite, the Samaritan Pentateuch and a version by Jean Morin (Morinus).
Latin-Syriac psalter by Gabriel Sionita, 1625, printed by Antoine Vitré with the fonts of François Savary de Brèves.
Arabic fonts and a french interest in Middle East.
Mavi Boncuk |

Latin-Syriac psalter by Gabriel Sionita, 1625, printed by Antoine Vitré with the fonts of François Savary de Brèves.