lovers and collectors of books in their libraries collect a lot of publications, each of which has its own history.In an effort to protect their wealth, bibliophiles and connoisseurs paste or put down in books, book marks - bookplate.What is it, when and where it comes from, how it happens and how to make this "graphic aphorism," try to tell you in this article.
What is it?
translated from Latin into Russian Ex libris means "the books."It is inextricably linked with the history of books and appeared in medieval workshops - scriptoria monasteries where tomes copied.It was there that began to make so-called owners' inscriptions on the books, beginning with the words "from the library" or "from the books", and then to indicate the name and the owner's name or the name of the monastery or the library.
Its modern and familiar to us a view of the paper label pasted on the inside of the book binding, bookplate obliged typography and German masters.Sometimes it is very different - the simple and ornate, black-and-white and color.The simplest example is familiar to each of us from childhood - the library bookplate affixed to issued school textbooks.Aesthetically it is a nothing, but carries important information about the owner of the publication.
book sign - bookplate - not remained unchanged, the fashion trends of an era, personal preferences and tastes of the owners, and even the techniques employed Print influenced its appearance.
As a rule, personal bookplate is encrypted to a greater or lesser extent, information about the owner: his name, profession, attitude, interests.There are times when left bookplate has a greater value than the book itself, in which it is located.
When they get there?
Responding to a question about the bookplate - what it is, it is important to find out where and how did this artistic phenomenon.
According to scientists, the oldest bookplate is in the British Museum, and it belonged to Amenhotep IV and is dated from the XIV century BC.e.The desire to mark ownership of such precious things as books, it is understandable.Only the most powerful and wealthy people could afford to have the manuscripts and tried to indicate ownership to save it.
After the appearance of the first printed books in Germany, people took bookplates for which it was possible to identify the owner.The oldest recorded bookplate German refers to 1450, and the French Jean Berto La Tour Blanche - to 1529.
One of the first British, Dutch and Italian bookplates appeared in 1579, 1597 and 1622, respectively.
Classification and types
evolved over the centuries, bookplates can be classified into the following two main types:
- font - indicating only the name of the owner;
- art, executed in the form of a miniature figure, briefly telling about the host library.
Let us consider in detail the artistic bookplate, what it is and what its views are.A total of three:
- stamp is characteristic of the XVI-XVII centuries, it depicted the coat of arms of the owner.It was created according to the laws heraldic art.
- monogram included artistically processed initials of the owner.This bookplate (pictured above) can be seen in the article.Scene
- most decorative and can be composed of many elements, reflecting personal preferences, occupation and hobbies of the owner.
that they represent?
Earlier in the book Signs prevailed emblems and initials, the modern bookplates in most cases consist of two parts: an art and text.And if in the inscription on the tradition of the book indicate affiliation to a particular owner, the image can be absolutely anything.When designed bookplates, artists are asked to display one or the other aspect of life, or the interests of the owner of the library.This image certainly is symbolic, and it can be a portrait or landscape, to show the elements of decor or architecture of the library, or a grotesque caricature.There are no restrictions other than the customer's imagination and skill of the artist.
In Soviet times, bookplates were popular with the image of Lenin, stories and heroes of the civil and the Great Patriotic War and labor feats of the workers and peasants, the conquest of space.
how to do them?
Today there are many techniques producing bookplates:
- typesetting;
- stamp;
- zincographic;
- lithography;
- silkscreen;
- prints on various materials.
brief look at the different methods that are used when made bookplate book.
Woodcut
One of the oldest is the woodcut techniques - etching, performed on the tree.Already in the VIII century BC.e.East receive high-quality prints from treated wood surfaces, and the XIV century similar technique has been applied in Europe.They called this kind of woodcuts cut, carried her to the longitudinal saw cut soft wood, usually pear, chisel and knife.Because of the resistance of the wood grain process was long and tedious.In the XVIII century English engraver Thomas Bewick invented a way to end the engraving, performed on cross sections of solid wood special cutter.This kind of engravings quickly gained popularity because it allowed to obtain a thin and clean lines, the required depth and smooth transitions between light and dark areas.
engraving on copper
This is one of the oldest ways to create engravings appeared in the XIV century in Italy.Running it by cutting drawing special cutter for copper and the subsequent filling of the grooves obtained paint.After this pattern is printed under pressure, wet, absorbent paper paint.This technique is quite complex to implement, since nothing can be changed or corrected.
Etching
This is the most popular method of making bookplates is drawing acid etching on zinc or copper plate.First, on a board covered with a metal, applied special lacquer composition based on wax and tar.When the varnish hardens, the artist does a special needle, exposing the metal pattern.Once the image is transferred, the plate is dipped in a container of nitric acid corrodes the metal.On free of acid and lacquer surface turns drawing.
Modernity
Earlier bookplates produced by artists woodcuts or etchings, today the majority of bookplates executed through a rubber stamp pad.Modern means allow engraved bookplates smallest elements, which makes it possible to create complex works of art.
Book labels in Russian
up to the XVIII century in Russia were distributed hand-written books, and in order to preserve them owners of just doing "possessory title", which specifies the name and surname.Due to the Russian pioneer Ivan Fyodorov the first printed bookplate appeared in the early XVIII century.Initially, it was only stamp the image, but gradually began to appear plot drawings provided with a brief motto, expressing the stance of the host.During the reign of Peter I Secular literature became widespread and is catching bookplate.Patterns applied to the print media, become the subject of public discussion and reflecting the social status of the owner.
In the XIX century in Russia is actively formed a layer of intellectuals and personal library is no longer a symbol of privilege.Many educated people, scientists, writers gradually formed an extensive library collection.This has contributed to the wide dissemination of bookplates, but led to its simplification.Instead, pompous family coats of arms or monograms appeared normal frame, made in hard copy, which fit the personal data of the owner and a permanent place of the book - the number of bookcases and shelves.
In XX century bookplate becomes almost a separate genre of graphic art.This was facilitated by the fact that in Russia the genre such outstanding artists as Alexander Benois, Leon Bakst, Georgy Narbut, Elena Lancer, Mikhail Dobuzhinsky and many others.It is also known that in 1901, was created only bookplate Vasnetsov, rather, block printing "Iz knig ISOstroukhova "performed the famous engraver of the time VVMate on the image that the artist made in ink.
modern history bookplate
After the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War there was a set of graphic artists, such as Nikolai Kupriyanov, Mr Tabor, Alex Kravchenko and other masters.Subjects bookplates expanded significantly, and bookplate began to show individual personality traits and preferences of the owners of books.
next period bookplates popularity in our country became 60-70 years of the last century, when people got carried away collecting books.Although the work at the time was very limited ideological framework, the artists have created many interesting and unusual bookplates.
Today, in the XXI century, interest in the ex-libris is becoming stronger.This is due primarily to the fact that more and more of our contemporaries aspire to have a personal, own bookplate, inherited, such as Ex Libris, which is located below the photo.
Instead of conclusion
Currently bookplates serve not only to preserve the integrity of the library, but also as objects of collecting.They can tell a lot about a particular era, the owners and their fates.Responding to a question about the bookplate - what it is, we can say that this is not just a modern genre of graphic art, but the objective memory of the departed ages and people.
