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[Symbols and Emblemats]. Symbola et Emblemata jussu atque ausspiciis
sacerrimae suae majestatis augustissimi ac serenessimi imperatoris
Moschoviae magni domini Czaris et magni ducis Petri Alexeidis totius
magnae, parvae et albae Rossiae, nec non aliarum multarum potestatum
atque dominiorum orientalium, occidentalium aquilonariumque supremi
monarchae. Amstelaedami, apud Henricum Wetstenium, Anno 1705. 840
plts. [Amsterdam, Henry Vetstejn's printing house, 1705]. Two title
pages in Slavonic and Latin, fine engraved frontispiece, 281, [10] p.
p., 840 emblems in the text. Contemporary velum. Format: 20x14,6 cm.
Very rare edition!
Since the XVI-th century symbols and emblems have enjoyed wide
popularity in Europe, it was one of the favorite genres of literature.
There are lots of similar editions in foreign literature. According to
concepts of that time an emblem is the conditional image of idea in
figure or plastic, and the symbol expressed the same idea in words not
necessary being the description of this emblem. For example, in
edition Symbols and emblemats of 1705 there may be three times met
three different engravings showing the emblem of the hedgehog and
three different symbols thereto namely: Honor and fortress are all on
the weapon, There are as many weapons as there are many enemies and
Be afraid of me all round. The turtle emblem can be met twice with
different symbols: With patience you will see termination to all
affairs and Little be little. The arms and mottos thereto used to
be chosen out of symbols and emblems, from them there used to be taken
subjects for transparencies and fireworks in XVII XVIII centuries.
Also in Russia some themes for transparencies and pictures on solemn
gates used to be taken from Symbols and emblemats. Before there was
issued the Amsterdam edition in 1705 they were directly borrowed from
La Fey editions. The emblem (in Amsterdam edition 204) the beaver
sapping under a tree was used for fireworks on January 1, 1703 after
capturing Notebourg, and the emblem 102 the suspended lion with the
symbol Let it governing was used in fireworks on January 1, 1710,
after the Poltava victory. The emblem 115 showing the rake on a field
collecting the scattered is reproduced on the transparency during
the fireworks on January 1, 1704. The engravings of these fireworks
are placed in the Mars Book. In Russia names for the ships of the
Azov fleet that was built starting from 1696 were taken from the La
Fey book. The appropriate emblem was cut out on the forage of the ship
that was ornate with fretwork. For example, among the Azov fleet there
was a ship called The Turtle With patience you will see
termination to all affairs (according to the edition of 1705, the
emblem 161), also there was a ship called The Three wine-glasses
Keep within limits in all affairs (438). On the forage of the ships
there were accordingly cut out the turtle and the table with three
wine-glasses.
Transformations of Peter the Great had been prepared by the whole
process of Russian state life of XVIXVII centuries. On the general
background of the historical process the first quarter of the XVIII-th
century is characterized by high rates of all-around development.
Striving for putting Russia forward to the appropriate place among
European states Peter the Great understood impossibility of preserving
the old way of life unchangeable. It was required to update the
country in at least some areas namely in economy, army, education. One
of the possible means was Europeanization of the country within the
limits Peter the Great found to be necessary, and the press was one of
the constituent parts of the Europeanization. The publishing released
from trusteeship of church and supervision of the patriarch was forced
by Peter the Great to serve the state.
There came a new stage in the history of Russian publishing. In the
course of reforms carried out by him Peter the Great early realized
the significance of press. And, undoubtedly, his travel to Europe in
1697-1698 played a greate part in understanding this significance.
During his stay in Amsterdam Peter the Great found out the influence
press had in public life. At that time Holland took the first place in
book business in Europe publishing books and newspapers not only for
that country. Foreign printing houses used to order letters to
well-known Dutch engravers. In Amsterdam Peter the Great also got
acquainted with political engraving that used to respond to all great
European events; he visited Adrian Shkhonebek in whose workshop there
were issued tens sheets of chronicle engraving.
Understanding that reform of book business in Russia couldnt be
effected quickly and at the same time not considering it was possible
to waste time, Peter the Great made the attempt to publish Russian
books in Amsterdam. In 1698 Dutch merchant Ian Tesing was granted the
privilege for fifteen years: ... He was commanded in that city of
Amsterdam to print European, Asian and American terrestrial and sea
maps and drawings, and various quires and persons, and about
terrestrial and sea military people mathematical, architectural and
town-planning and other art books in Slavic and Dutch languages
together, and also in Slavic and Dutch languages separately... except
for church Slavic records of Greek language...
In the privilege there is reflected a part of the program of
publishing conceived by Peter the Great which was later implemented in
Russia on much expanded subjects.
Ian Tesing did not know Russian and according to his contemporaries,
did not possess the necessary knowledge to fulfill the obligations
undertaken, and, moreover, he was not an expert in the technique of
printing. He had to organize a printing house and cast the fonts. The
font of the Tesing printing house was different from the usual Moscow
one as it is fine, some letters preserved the old Cyrillic form, some
of them by their outlines are similar to the future civil font. By
their format the books are portable, in one octant or quarter of a
sheet. Probably, the format is also explained by the small volume of
the books.
It is Elia Fedorovich Kopievsky (sometimes he was called Kopievich)
who rendered assistance to Tesing. There is no reliable information
about Kopievskys origin, possibly, he was Byelorussian from
Lithuania, and knew Russian, though not perfectly. He was the composer
or translator of all books to have left Tesing printing house. However
their teamwork proceeded not for long, and in 1700 they parted. After
Kopievskys leaving in Tesing printing house there was only printed
one book namely the Calendar (1702) that was published already after
the owners death that happended in 1701
After his quarrel with Tesing, Kopievsky cast a new font that was
different in inscription of some letters. Lack of means forced him to
join Ian de Iong, but their business also came to severance and
litigation. In 1702 Kopievsky was in Berlin unsuccessfully trying to
conclude a contract of printing Russian books with the Berlin academy
of sciences. In 1707 he moved to Russia. However there has not been
preserved any traces of his active participation in publishing the
first books of civil font. He died in 1714.
Not all the books published in Amsterdam reached our time. Kopievsky
printed three lists of the books published and prepared for printing
by him. The first list was enclosed in 1699 to his application
addressed to Peter the Great even during his work for Tesing: The
rank grade the books are called... are made by the author thereof Elia
Fedorov Kopievsky... . In the list there were listed 23 books. This
list is the first bibliography of Russian books, and at the same time
the first Russian personal bibliography. The second was enclosed to
the Latin grammar printed by Kopievsky in 1700 after his severance
with Tesing and the third one to his Manual in Grammar published by
him in suburb of Danzig Shtoltsenberg where there are already
specified 25 books and from among them twelve books were sent to the
Moscow empire. Three books mentioned by Kopievsky as printed ones have
not reached us; probably, they have not been published.
In the lists there are mainly listed books of humanitarian contents.
The books on exact sciences were not satisfactory enough. For example,
in Brief and useful Manual in arithmetic consisting of 48 pages a
half was devoted to "Maxims" and "Parables". Only two editions were
worthy on notice from the list namely:
1. Translation of the composition of the well-known Dutch
mathematician de Graaf The Book teaching sea navigation... published
by Kopievsky after his severance with Tesing.
2. The later Amsterdam edition printed according to the decree of
Peter the Great in 1705 in the printing house of Henry Vetstejn that
was called Symbols and emblemats and acquired wide distribution in
Russia. As it was mentioned above, the emblems were borrowed for
representation thereof on triumphal arches and transparencies during
fireworks, used when composing arms, incrusting furniture, served as
patterns for bone carvers and were the reference book for the first
Russian engravers.
The attempt of publishing books far from Russia in language that was
unfamiliar for publishers could not be crowned with success. Perhaps,
Peter the Great was satisfied with neither contents nor subjects of
the books.
The Amsterdam editions were of very limited distribution in Russia and
now they are extremely rare, as Grigory Gennadi marks in the foreword
to his fundamental research Russian book rarities, SPB, 1872. The
extracts from this article were subsequently repeated by P.A.Kartavov
in his research called Bibliographic information about rare books,
1, SPB., 1898.
It is two books by the Frenchman Daniel de la the Fey published in
Amsterdam in 1691 and 1696 that served as the initial material for
Symbols and emblemats. From among them there were selected840
figures-emblems to have been placed by the composers on the right odd
pages of the book (with 6 engravings on each page); on the left pages
there were placed "symbols", i.e. explanations to the emblems. Each
"symbol" was duplicated in eight languages: Russian, Latin, French,
Italian, Spanish, Dutch, English and German. And it is possible to say
about the Russian mottos, that they are not so much as translations,
rather than semantic analogues of the initial inscriptions. There was
made the assumption that it is Kopievsky being famous for his
propensity to literary work who is the author thereof.
The Russian title of the book is engraved on the frontispiece of the
work by John Moulder. It is here where the portrait of Peter I is
placed made from the original by Gottfried Kneller and around it there
are placed 8 emblems with signatures. The well-known Russian doctor,
the founder of domestic obstetrics Nestor Maximovich
Maximovich-Ambodik (1744-1812) who twice republished Symbols and
emblemats in 1788 and 1811 although with some discrepancies, but as a
whole he truly described and interpreted them in his comment: In the
title of this book there is represented Peter the Greats portrait
with surrounding it decent Emblems and symbols which are presented
here with the description thereof one after another: I. The radiant
sun. It is always and everywhere the same. II. The rising sun and
other heavenly bodies all others would yield thereto. III. The
shining sun and the eagle with its young nestling hovering upwards
the hope of your empire is great. IV. The double-headed crowned eagle
with the scepter and orb in whose breast there is the Saint George
defeating the prostrated snake. The leader and defender from
enemies. V. The mountain everywhere surrounded by the sea, and winds
blowing thereto. It is by no means motionless. VI. The lion killing
the dog. Who will relieve it? VII. A hand coming out of the clouds
dressed in armor and holding a sword with an oil-palm branch. Ready
to war and peace. VIII. Hercules carrying light on his shoulders. The
load that is equal to the strength. In the middle, under the image
of Peter the Great there is the following symbolical inscription: All
the beauty and protection coming from him. In opinion of historians,
the most emblems and captions thereto were intended to demonstrate
confidence of the Russians in their forthcoming victory over Sweden,
but one of the subjects indicated Peter's readiness to make peace with
the enemy. The circulation of the book made not less than 800 copies.
Symbols and emblemats is the only on from among Russian editions
that were printed in Amsterdam about which it is known that it was on
sale in Moscow. Symbols and emblemats were brought to Moscow in
boxes which were put in the Ambassadorial Board at boyar Feodor
Alekseevich Golovin hence, not later than on July 1706 when Golovin
died. Apparently, the book was then simply forgotten, and it was only
recollected 12 years later. In 1718 there was given the order signed
by G.I.Golovkin and P.P.Shafirov ... On the 21-th of March under the
decree of the great sovereign... Peter Alekseevich... there
aforementioned books Emblemats which are safe are to be given to the
book row of stalls to merchants people in the presence of the senior
man under signature and tell them to sell those books to everybody to
wish to acquire thereof, and to determine the price for each book to
be of twenty and three three-copeck pieces but two denga... and to
expose a written announcement thereof in the book row of stalls. Some
merchants refused to accept a great number of books to sell them in
their stores; they only took insignificant number of copies of
Symbols and emblemats and it is clerks who traded in them. On
December 6t, 1721 Vasily Kitsrijanoz took 105 books for sale. The
money for the sold books were given to the Ambassadorial Board. The
circulation of the book was considerable for the time: not less than
800 copies were brought to Moscow. In the Royal Ambassadorial Board
there are 590 books of printed emblemats, but from among them 165
decayed because of dampness it is the number of copies that was
determined 12 years after delivery of the books to Moscow; of course,
originally there were more thereof. Sale of the books in Moscow was
the reason for Symbols and emblemats reaching us in relatively
larger number of copies. Symbols and emblemats have sustained some
republications in 1719, 1788, 1811 and 1995. Naturally, today it is
the copies of the first edition of 1705 that are the rarest ones.
References:
1. N.V. Solovyovs antique-shop. Catalogue 105 Livres Rares,
Saint-Petersburg, 1910, 456, 125 roubles!
2. N.B. Russian rare books, Moscow, 1902, 551.
3. Mezdounarodnaya Kniga. Section des livres Illust.. Bulletin 8.
Moscow, 1926, 5, 40 roubles.
4. Pecarskii, vols. 1- 2, SPB, 1862, 96.
5. Petrov A. V., 6.
6. Smirnov-Sokolskii, Biblioteka, vol. I, 9.
7. Book treasures of the State Lenin Library. A department of rare
books. Pt. 1, Moscow, 1979, 52. |
