Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller

Искусство Древней Руси. У Соли Вычегодской "Iskusstvo drevnyei rusi u solivychegodskoi" [Art of Ancient Russia in Solvychegodsk]

Макаренко Николай (Makarenko, Nikolai) (Text by); K. K. Romanov, V. A. Plotnikov, L .V Putsillo, D. V. Mileev (Photographs by)

Петроград (Petrograd): Издательство «Свободное Искусство» (Liberal Arts), 1918. Limited First edition. Hardcover. 1/1000. Folio.157, [1]pp. Original printed dust-jacket over half green cloth and decorative paper covered boards. Pictorial endpapers. Decorative head-, tailpieces, and initials.

Lavishly illustrated with 101 duo-tone photographic reproductions mounted onto heavy paper, this handsome volume documents the amazing true story of a wealthy family's contribution to the arts and architecture in a little town of northern Russia. Solvychegodsk is located on the north bank of the Vychegda River not far from its confluence with the Northern Dvina. Despite its sleepy appearance, Solvychegodsk contains two of the most elaborate examples of religious architecture and applied arts in all Russia. Founded in the 14th century, Solvychegodsk was called the Stroganov town due to the rich local salt works owned by the Stroganov family. The family created a salt monopoly which brought them enormous wealth, and Solvychegodsk became the center of a private empire. The family's achievements placed them in positions of exceptional influence, both political and cultural. The family’s lavish patronage of the arts started with the patriarch of the dynasty, Anika (Ioanniky) Stroganov (1497-1570), whose primary contribution to Russian architecture is the Annunciation Cathedral, begun in 1560 and apparently concluded in the early 1570s.

The Cathedral contains a grandiose gilded iconstasis, which was carved in Moscow by a team led by Grigori Ivanov and transported here in 1693. The origins of the famed Stroganoff school of iconography and the decorative arts can be seen here in opulent examples of enamel, painting and other applied arts on display in the cathedral. Another architectural jewel built by the Stroganov family is the Presentation Cathedral whose soaring interior is created by a vaulting system of paired arches that support the large structure and its five cupolas. The magnificent icons within the Presentation Cathedral were painted on canvas (instead of treated boards) in a western style by a Stroganov painter, Stepan Narykov. The striking photographs depict in detail all these splendors (exterior and interior views of all the brick churches, as well as frescoes, icons, and other artwork), including some which were later destroyed by the Soviets. Written before the Bolshevik Revolution, and published in its immediate aftermath, this book is the last remaining testimony of the town's architectural and artistic jewels. Indeed, the Soviet period would inflict much damage on the cultural heritage of Solvychegodsk. Of the town's twelve brick churches at the beginning of the 20th century, eight were destroyed and two others left in ruined state. However, the two Stroganov cathedrals still stand in their monumental glory. One of 1000 numbered copies, of which this is No. 887.

Dust-jacket partly creased and torn along edges. Head of spine slightly age-toned. Minor soiling along edges of covers. Text in Russian. DJ in overall poor to fair, binding in good+, interior in very good condition. poor to vg. Item #39666

Price: $1,250.00