Antiqua is the traditional term for most kinds of roman typeface derived from the archetype designed by Nicholas Jenson circa 1470. The letter forms are modelled on a combination of Roman inscriptional capitals and Carolingian writing. Also known as Venetian, antiqua types were the most common form of typeface for five centuries, from the mid 15th until the 20th, when sans serif or linear faces began to find favour in display, and eventually sustained text settings. Antiqua fonts remain the overwhelming type of choice for lengthy text setting in print, such as books.

Antiqua's Germanic opposite is blackletter, in which the letter forms are broken or fractured. In 19th and 20th century Germany, there was a dispute over whether German should be written in antiqua or the highly-developed Fraktur blackletter.

Typography

Antikva | Antiqua | Antykwa | Антиква | Antikva | Антиква