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[AN ICONIC STUDY OF RUSSIAN FOLK PRINTS] Russkiye narodnyye kartinki: posmertnyy trud pechatan pod nablyudeniyem N. P. Sobko [i.e. Russian Folk Pictures: Posthumous Work Printed under the Supervision of N. P. Sobko]

Rovinsky, D.

Item #2379

St. Petersburg: izdaniye R. Golike, 1900. Two volumes [of two published] in one binding: 1-520 (in two columns), 15 color plates (1 double-spread): 348 black and white ills. 32,8x23 cm. In owner’s period quarter cloth binding. Fine condition. Neat restoration of the tear on p. 18 (with a tape).

Scarce. First posthumous edition. Text in Russian.
A fundamental work on Russian folk pictures and an essential title in any collection of books on folk prints, authored by Dmitry Rovinsky (1824–1895), a distinguished Russian jurist, senator, art historian, collector, and patron of the arts.
Russian Folk Pictures was originally published in 1881–1893 as a massive multi-volume work—comprising seven volumes of illustrations and five volumes of research and commentary. The overwhelming response to the 1881 edition prompted Rovinsky to prepare a more accessible, two-volume version, which was released posthumously in 1900. Rovinsky spent over 20 years meticulously studying and collecting folk prints, assembling an unparalleled collection. His research extended beyond Russian lubok (popular prints) to include German, French, Dutch, and English examples, and he traveled extensively—to Europe, China, India, Japan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and even Java—seeking their origins.

The work offers a comprehensive exploration of Russian folk prints from the early 17th to mid-19th century, portraying the everyday life, beliefs, humor, and struggles of the Russian people. Rovinsky’s study preserves the full range of this popular art form— from fairy tales and satirical scenes to religious imagery, historical subjects, primers, and calendars. He documents woodcut and copperplate engraving techniques, European influences, and the role of censorship and distribution. At his request, prints were re-struck from surviving engraved blocks at institutions like the Moscow Synodal Printing House and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Rovinsky cataloged 4,700 unique prints, or 8,000 including different editions. Organized by subject rather than style or school, the book mixes Russian and European themes, woodcuts and engravings—a system he saw as best suited for the time. Later scholars like Vladimir Stasov expanded on his work by classifying prints by production centers such as Moscow, Kyiv, and St. Petersburg.

Overall, an iconic pre-revolutionary study of Russian folk pictures by Dmitry Rovinsky.

Worldcat locates no copies in American institutions.

Price: $3,500.00

Status: On Hold