Inspired by Rubens: Antwerp Baroque Books Stored in the Russian State Library

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 648-656
Author(s):  
Tatiana A. Dolgodrova

The article is devoted to the history of Antwerp printed books, which, in the first half of the 17th century, underwent a profound transformation caused by the influence of the Baroque style emerging in the Netherlands, with its characteristic contrast, dynamism and intensity of images, and combination of reality and illusion. The author demonstrates the Baroque book development by the example of the sources that she first introduces into scientific circulation: books stored in the Research Department of Rare Books (Book Museum) of the Russian State Library (RSL). The article gives examples of the formation of a new allegorical thinking of the Baroque, in which allegory became the norm of artistic vocabulary. The new allegorical imagery is noted in the title pages and illustrations of books that characterize the printing of that period. The Antwerp printer Balthazar Moretus (1574—1641) was an excellent master of this new Baroque book. By using leading artists to design his books, he took an important step in the development of book design. There are well known publications by B. Moretus featuring beautiful title pages designed by his friend Peter Paul Rubens (1577—1640). The typical appearance of text sheets is also the result of the use of elegant fonts, rich design and abundance of decorative elements. The article analyzes the influence of Rubens on the Baroque book formation in Antwerp.

Author(s):  
Andrey S. Usachev

The article tells about the collection of manuscript books of collector and Old Believer P. Ovchinnikov (1843—1912), now stored in the Manuscript Research Department of the Russian State Library. The special attention is paid to early history of the collection: to features of work of the collector with manuscripts, and also to their use by other researchers. The research is based on the data of various sources — notes on books, memoirs of contemporaries about P. Ovchinnikov, the unpublished documents.


Author(s):  
Margarita Y. Dvorkina

The article is devoted to the memory of Lyudmila Mikhailovna Koval (October 17, 1933 – February 15, 2020), historian, Head of the History sector of the Russian State Library (RSL) and the Museum of Library history. The author presents brief biographical information about L.M. Koval, the author of more than 350 scientific and popular scientific works in Russian and in 9 foreign languages. She published 29 books in Publishing houses “Nauka”, “Kniga”, “Letniy Sad”, ”Pashkov Dom”, most of the works are dedicated to the Library. Special place in the work of L.M. Koval is given to the Great Patriotic War theme. The article considers the works devoted to the activities of Library staff during the War period. L.M. Koval paid much attention to the study of activities of the Library’s Directors. She prepared books and articles about the Directors of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museums and Library from the end of the 19th century and almost to the end of the 20th century: N.V. Isakov, D.S. Levshin, V.A. Dashkov, M.A. Venevitinov, I.V. Tsvetaev, V.D. Golitsyn, A.K. Vinogradov, V.I. Nevsky, N.M. Sikorsky. The author notes contribution of L.M. Koval to the study of the Library’s history. Specialists in the history of librarianship widely use bibliography of L.M. Koval in their research. The list of sources contains the main works of L.M. Koval, and the Appendix includes reviews of publications by L.M. Koval and the works about her.


Author(s):  
Svetlana Y. Khvostova

On the Opening of the Department of the Russian State Library in Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow, as well as about the history of the Library of Schneerson family, which had become the center of the collection.


Author(s):  
Semen M. Iakerson

Hebrew incunabula amount to a rather modest, in terms of number, group of around 150 editions that were printed within the period from the late 60s of the 15th century to January 1, 1501 in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Turkey. Despite such a small number of Hebrew incunabula, the role they played in the history of the formation of European printing cannot be overlooked. Even less possible is to overestimate the importance of Hebrew incunabula for understanding Jewish spiritual life as it evolved in Europe during the Renaissance.Russian depositories house 43 editions of Hebrew incunabula, in 113 copies and fragments. The latter are distributed as following: the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences — 67 items stored; the Russian State Library — 38 items; the National Library of Russia — 7 items; the Jewish Religious Community of Saint Petersburg — 1 item. The majority of these books came in public depositories at the late 19th — first half of the 20th century from private collections of St. Petersburg collectors: Moses Friedland (1826—1899), Daniel Chwolson (1819—1911) and David Günzburg (1857—1910). This article looks into the circumstances of how exactly these incunabula were acquired by the depositories. For the first time there are analysed publications of Russian scholars that either include descriptions of Hebrew incunabula (inventories, catalogues, lists) or related to various aspects of Hebrew incunabula studies. The article presents the first annotated bibliography of all domestic publications that are in any way connected with Hebrew incunabula, covering the period from 1893 (the first publication) to the present. In private collections, there was paid special attention to the formation of incunabula collections. It was expressed in the allocation of incunabula as a separate group of books in printed catalogues and the publication of research works on incunabula studies, which belonged to the pen of collectors themselves and haven’t lost their scientific relevance today.


Author(s):  
Alexander Y. Samarin

The article presents the analysis of the new book of the famous bibliophile, researcher and populariser of rare books and bibliophilism, the Chairman of the National Union of Bibliophiles M.V. Seslavinsky about the history of creation, specific aspects of publishing and art design of the famous bibliophilic edition “Cantata” by A.A. Sidorov (Moscow, 1921). Comic verses of the future famous bibliologist and art critic, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR became the text for the first edition of the Russian society of the friends of books (1920—1929), the largest Association of booklovers of the 1920s. Two small runs totalled only 20 copies. The study is based primarily on the copies of “Cantata” preserved in the state collections (the Russian State Library, the State Tretyakov Gallery) and private collections, including the M.V. Seslavinsky’s one. The discovery of new documents on the history of the publication allowed restoring the list of owners of the autographed copies. Using the copy-by-copy method, the researcher succeeded in describing the numerous design options of the rarity of bibliophile publishing. The use of art-historical methods allowed to finally establish that the prototype for the image on the engraving “Bibliophile in 1920” (artist N.B. Baklanov, engraver I.N. Pavlov) was A.N. Benoit, the famous painter. The author introduces into circulation the handwritten poetic epistles of A.A. Sidorov to the owners of the autographed copies and other unique materials about preparation for printing, distribution and provenance of “Cantata”. In general, it can be concluded that M.V. Seslavinsky’s approaches to the analysis of “Cantata” can become basic in the study of bibliophile book as a special cultural phenomenon and trend in book publishing.


2021 ◽  
pp. 9-84
Author(s):  
Anatoly S. Demin ◽  

The research consists of the series of articles analyzing the pre- viously unexplored expressiveness, figurativeness, fantasy and sarcasticity of a number of Old Russian works. The first article reveals the expressiveness of the “Turkic” utterances of Afanasy Nikitin in The Journey Beyond Three Seas according to the list of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RSAAA), f. 181, no. 371 of the first quarter of the 16th century. The second article characterizes the distorted, fantastic earthly worlds depicted in the Tale of the Twelve Dreams of King Shahaisha according to the list of the Russian National Library (RNL), Kir.-Beloz., no. 22/1099 of the 1470s; in the Conversation of Three Saints according to the list of the Russian State Library (RSL), Troitsk., no. 778 of the beginning of the 16th century; in the collection of proverbs and sayings according to the list of the RSAAA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow Main Archive (MMA), no. 250–455 of the late 17th century; in The Tale of Ersh Ershovich according to the list of Pushkin House, 1.27.105 of the late 17th — early 18th centuries; in the Bird Council according to the list of the RNL, 0.XVII.17 the mid-18th century; in the Medicine Book. How to Treat Foreigners according to the list of the RNL, Q.XVII.96, Peter’s time; in the Legend of a Luxurious Life and Fun according to the list of the RNL, 0.XVII.57 of the first quarter of the 18th cen- tury. The third article examines the aesthetic role of verses in the collections of the late 17th century: RSL, Tikhonravov, no. 233, 249, 380, 411, 499. The fourth article shows that some compilers of collections of the 17th century appreciated the visual arts of works, mostly very old (оn the example of collections of the RSL, Tikhonravov, no. 460, 384, 18, 340, 231). In two Appendices to the article are published the descriptions of the composition of the collection no. 231 and the text of the parable about the dispute of parts of the human body. In two Ap- pendices to the article, it is said about the everyday depiction of the collection of proverbs and sayings according to the list of the RSAAA, MMA, no. 250–455 of the late 17th century and on the expressiveness of articles in the miniature collection of the RSL, Bolshakov, no. 325. The fifth article points to the mocking meaning of proverbs and sayings about criminals in the same collection of the RSAAA, MMA, no. 250–455. Finally, the sixth article draws attention to the evolution of the literary work of Archpriest Avvakum from brief mentions of events to detailed stories about them (оn the material of Vita, petitions, Book of Interpretations, Book of Accusations, Write-off about the creation of man, The Lamentable Word about the death of noblewoman F. Morozova). We must warn you that the pictorial and expressive meaning of the examples and phrases quot- ed from the texts of the monuments is not thoroughly proved in this work, but is only stated. Otherwise, each example would require an independent essay on certain literary means, and the theme and composition of the work would be completely different.


2021 ◽  
pp. 295-320
Author(s):  
Marina S. Krutova ◽  

The Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library contains materials of different genres about the claims of the Onomatodoxists to Pitsunda skete of the New Athos Monastery, named after Simon the Canaanean — letters, reports, petitions. The reason for the Onomatodoxists disputes is believed to be the book “On the Caucasus Mountains” by Schemamonk Ilarion (worldly Ivan Domrachyov), who was assigned to the New Athos monastery after he had left Old Athos. The originals of the published documents are kept in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library in the fund of Bishop Nikon (worldly Nikolay Rozhdestvenskiy); the former was a member of the Most Holy Synod, actively opposed the religious movement which arose on Old Athos in the early 20th century. The value of the published documents lies in the fact that they tell about a little-known page in the history of the New Athos Monastery.


2021 ◽  
pp. 275-294
Author(s):  
Marina S. Krutova ◽  

The Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library contains letters of Hegumen Ieron (worldly Ivan Nosov-Vasil’yev), Schemamonk Innokentiy (worldly last name — Sibiryakov) and Iosif the monk, the brethren of New Athos Monastery, named after Simon the Canaanean, to Archimandrite Leonid (worldly Lev Kavelin), Rector of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, a prominent scientist, a prominent scholar of the Russian Orthodox Church, one of the most enlightened priests of the 19th century. In 1885, the book “Abkhazia and New Athos Monastery, Named after Simon the Canaanean, in It” by Archimandrite Leonid was a real event. The published letters were written by the brethren of the monastery, people of different cultural levels; but they are all imbued with a sense of gratitude to the author, who wrote a book about their holy monastery, which they love and care about the improvement of. Hegumen Ieron’s letters contain numerous details about the opening of Pitsunda Monastery as a skete of New Athos Monastery, about the restoration of the ancient Pitsunda temple, about its beautification and the forthcoming consecration. Schemamonk Innokentiy’s letters provide detailed information about the history of the Monastery, as well as some cartographic data needed by Archimandrite Leonid for his book. Monk Iosif ’s letter contains details of the economic life of the monastery.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaas-Willem de Jong

In this article, I present a project that recently emerged at the Protestant Theological University (PThU: NL Amsterdam-Groningen). It focuses on the classical reformed liturgy in the Netherlands, its texts, rituals and their history, especially in the 16th and early 17th centuries. The collection of these texts, passed on through generations, is known as, among others, The Liturgy. I demonstrate it has been observed since the middle of the 17th century that The Liturgy is not a collection of prayers and forms of which the extent and the texts can be clearly defined. Still, a critical edition of The Liturgy has not yet been produced. I argue that a critical edition with attention to its origins, its various releases, its reception in the Netherlands Reformed Church and its effects on other liturgies is needed for an in-depth study of the history of both the reformation period and the reformed liturgy. Subsequently, I outline the method to produce such an edition. Because of the complexity of the matter, each part – for example a form or a collection of prayers – needs to be studied separately. Nevertheless, for each part similar steps have to be taken in which the involved scholars can work together. The critical edition of a part can be published in its own right. The final result is a merging of the releases into a critical edition of The Liturgy as a whole.


Author(s):  
Alexander Yu. Samarin

There are analyzed I.A.Goncharov's inscriptions on the books of the Russian state library collection. There is observed the history of their origin and the circle of the writer's contemporaries, to whom he addressed his inscriptions.


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