“Русскiя древности по снимкамъ И.Ф. Барщевскаго”
("Russian Antiquities from the Photographs of I.F. Barshevsky")
Published by the Imperial Stroganov Central Art and Industrial School, Moscow. Issue No. 1.
This is a complete early 20th-century Russian graphic portfolio documenting treasures from the Kremlin Armoury and other collections. It consists of 10 high-quality phototype plates and no accompanying text, as issued.
Contents:
Each plate reproduces a photograph by I.F. Barshevsky and is captioned in pre-reform Russian orthography.
Highlights include:
- Gilded and enameled bratina (communal bowls)
- Silver vessels and goblets, some of foreign origin
- Ornamental trays, plates, and spoons with enamel or relief work
- Russian ecclesiastical and court silverware (from the Kremlin Armoury, Moscow)
- Objects from the treasury of the Yaroslavl Archdiocese
Executed by the graphic workshop of the Imperial Stroganov School, a leading institution for applied arts in tsarist Russia.
Physical Details:
- Illustrated title leaf with imperial double-headed eagle design
- 10 numbered plates (no missing sheets) printed on thick stock paper
- Former Polish archival stamps on some pages (dated 1997)
- No text booklet (not issued with one)
Condition:
- All 10 plates present and well preserved
- Minimal edge wear; slight age toning as expected
- Binding sound, with typical shelf wear to cover edges
- Archival stamps and cataloguing notes from a Polish private landowner society (SPR Ziemiańska)
Collector Relevance:
This portfolio is a significant visual record of pre-revolutionary Russian decorative arts and museum holdings. Rarely found complete, especially outside Russia. Suitable for:
- Collectors of Russian silver and antique metalwork
- Museums and researchers of Russian applied arts
- Academic reference or fine art framing
Русскiя древности по снимкамъ И.Ф. Барщевскаго. Выпускъ 1. 10 листов. Москва, Строгановское Училище.
Russian silverwork, Kremlin Armoury, Tsarist Russia, phototype plates, Russian decorative arts, Barshevsky, Stroganov School, enamel, bratina, ecclesiastical metalwork, Imperial Russian photobook
