Litsevye apokalipsisy russkogo severa: rukopisi XVII – XIX vv. iz fondov Drevlekhranilishcha Pushkinskogo Doma (Illuminated Apocalypses of the Russian North: Manuscripts for the 17th to the 19th c. from Pushkin House Collections)
St. Petersburg: Pushkinskii dom, 2008. Sewn pb. The Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) in St. Petersburg has a wealth of material beyond literary manuscripts as this edition of Old-Believer renderings of the Book of Revelation shows. This handsome book presents a selection of subjects from illuminated Revelations, created by peasant Old Believers of northern provinces in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. The texts of John the Theologian’s Revelations are reproduced as they figure in the interpretations of Andrew of Caesarea (Andrei Kesariiskii). As a culture rooted in the peasantry, the Old Believers created forms of art that combined the bold colors and strong forms of folk art with imagery inspired by their archaic version of Orthodox faith. Their manuscript art testifies to the strong roughhewn talent and religious fervor of Old-Believer scribes and manuscript illuminators. The vivid, unexpected way the folk artist expresses his childlike perception of biblical scenes distinguishes their manuscripts. The folk art of the north is also significant as one source of imaginative inspiration of Russian avant-garde artists. The album concludes with a comparative table of subjects corresponding to chapters and verses of Revelation together with the Andrew’s interpretations. 74 pp.,, 2 b-&-w illus., 87 color, sewn pb., Rus., 2008, Series: Masterpieces of Manuscript Books from the Russian North, 1 (Knigapisnye shedevry russkogo severa, vypusk 1). Item #1815
Price: $68.00