Guillaume Le Roy imprimeur de “Ponthus et Sidoine”. Histoire éditoriale et étude philologique des éditions lyonnaises

This article offers a preliminary analysis of the transition to print of the anonymous chivalric romance Roy Ponthus et la belle Sidoine, from its rich manuscript tradition to its earliest printed editions. Based on Marie-Claude de Crécy’s modern edition and the four incunabula identified by the ISTC, the study highlights the textual, material, and iconographic dynamics that accompanied this transformation. Particular attention is given to the editions produced in Lyon by Guillaume Le Roy, whose role was central to the introduction of printing in the city. A philological and paratextual analysis of Le Roy’s version reveals a macro-textual reorganization of the romance, driven by editorial and narrative choices aimed at enhancing coherence between text and illustration, refocusing the story on the main protagonists, and standardizing chapter titles. Material and iconographic similarities between Le Roy’s editions and those by Gaspard Ortuin, as well as the German edition by Johann Schönsperger, suggest the existence of networks of exchange or collaboration among European printing workshops and support the hypothesis of an active artistic workshop associated with the Lyonnais printer.