What is exlibris. Exlibris - what is it? Bookplate: photo Book sign

The word "ex libris" in Latin means "from books". An ex-libris is a paper label pasted on a book, mainly on the inside of the binding, which indicates who the owner of the book is, and, as a rule, there is a plot picture,

reflecting the profession, range of interests, hobbies, literary attachments of a book lover, the theme or nature of the library. These signs are made by artists in the technique of engraving on wood, linoleum, plastic, metal, plexiglass; there are also pen and ink drawings (with subsequent zincography).

Art bookplates are works of printed graphics. book sign, well executed, well printed, neatly pasted into the book, decorates it, is its original passport. The presence of a library bookplate turns a simple book collection into a full-fledged library.

Ex-libris of Admiral I.F. Kruzenshtern

Ex-libris of Emperor Alexander III

Bookplate by Arkady Strugatsky

Among the artistic ex-libris are distinguished:

• stamps, which reproduce the coat of arms of the owner and are characteristic mainly of the 16th-18th centuries;
• monogrammed with ornamentally designed initials of the owner;
• plot, which became the most popular in the 20th century and are images of landscapes, architectural motifs, various emblems, figuratively reflecting the tastes, interests and predilections, the profession of the library owner.

Ex-libris emerged - in the form it exists today - shortly after the invention of printing in the 16th century in Germany. From those times, graphic miniatures of such great masters as Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Hans Holbein M. the fallen have come down to us.

Engraved bookplates appeared in Russia under Peter I. However, in the 60s of the last century, on some handwritten books of the Solovetsky Monastery, drawn signs of the founder of the local library, Dositheus, were found; These signs date back to the beginning of the 90s of the XV century.

For many centuries the ex-libris performed a utilitarian function. He first of all notified about the owner of the book. So, until the 19th century, most personal libraries belonged to the privileged estates, so most of the bookplates were heraldic with the image of the family coat of arms of the owner. Monogram bookmarks were also popular. But an even more spectacular way to designate the owner was a super ex libris: the same coat of arms, but embossed in gold on the top cover of the book cover.

In the 19th century, writers, scientists, artists, and the enlightened bourgeoisie increasingly became the owners of libraries, and the plot (artistic) bookplate is replacing the armorial. The end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century is the time of the revival of the art of the book sign in Russia as a branch of graphics. It was at this time that a new form of bookplate was finally found. In contrast to the heraldic bookplate, artists - members of the "World of Art" - A. Benois, E. Lansere, K. Somov, G. Narbut, M. Dobuzhinsky, I. Bilibin, E. Mitrokhin, S. Chekhonin and others - gave everything features of a quality graphic work. This is the harmony of the composition, the filigree accuracy of details, individuality, and a subtle plot. The artist put a particle of his soul into each sign, in each sign the graphic handwriting of the master is guessed. Among the Russian artists who contributed to the art of ex-libris are such major masters of painting and graphics as M. Vrubel, V. Vasnetsov, B. Kustodiev.

In the 1920-1930s. leading masters of graphics - V. Favorsky, A. Kravchenko, N. Kupreyanov, N. Piskarev, P. Schillingovsky, N. Brimmer and others - joined the creation of the ex-libris. famous artists E.Golyakhovsky, G.Kravtsov, V.Frolov, A.Kalashnikov, N.Kalita, G.Ratner, M.Verholantsev, V.Kartovich and many others.

Once again, a big fashion for ex-libris came in the 1960s-1970s. This was caused not so much by the flourishing of graphics, but by the rise of book collecting, the mass bibliophile movement in the country.

At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in ex-libris returns. And he returns, as always, in a slightly new incarnation. First of all, there is a revival of interest in bookplates as a personal book sign, as a keeper of family history.

Manufacturing technologies have also undergone changes. Now the most widespread in the modern book world are bookplates, made in the form of a rubber cliché print. Modern equipment makes it possible to engrave the cliche of an ex-libris so High Quality so that the smallest details of the picture become visible. This manufacturing technique opens up the richest opportunities for the owner of a book sign, as it allows the most complex artistic concept to be realized.

For a long time, bookplates have been collected all over the world. Thanks to this hobby, scientists can explore the stages of printing, the features of the publication of handwritten books, and track the ways of book migration. Thousands of collections of these graphic miniatures are known.

There are two bookplate museums, one of them is located in Moscow. There is an opinion that the growing popularity of book signs will help maintain the image of Russia as the most reading country in the world.

Sources:
Wikipedia http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_libris
Site of bookplates from the collection of Yuri Sergeevich Borodaev, a well-known Moscow hereditary collector
The science of advertising http://www.advertology.ru/article23253.html
Site of graphic artist Leonid Shchetnev http://www.booksite.ru/fulltext/she/tne/shetnev_l/index.htm

A true book lover knows what ex libris is (“ex libris” – “from books”).

This Latin word called a book sign with text, monogram or picture. So the owner of the book designated its belonging to his library. Bookplates appeared at the same time as handwritten books.

For a long time, books were treated as a source of wisdom, they were valued, they were afraid to lose them. That is why the masters left original miniature pictures in the manuscript - “insert entries”.For example, in ancient Egypt, a small faience tablet with the name of the owner was attached to the papyri. AT medieval Europe right on the book page they placed a portrait of the owner with a motto, or a vignette with the name of the owner, or his family coat of arms.

In the Renaissance, a bookmark was glued from the inside to the cover of the binding, sometimes prints were made directly on the sheet of the book using a signet ring. In the 18th century, printed bookplates were of two types - stamp and type. Armorial bookplates had different ornaments and heraldic symbols. Font book signs depicted complex monograms of two or three letters with crowns above them.

In the 19th century, there were several ways of making bookplates: engraved on copper or wood, lithographic, print with a cliché from a printing alloy. Type ex-libris-labels were widely used. They usually indicated only the name, patronymic and surname of the owner, sometimes indicated additional information: cupboard, shelf, department number, place.

In the 20th century, the most preferred topics were the revolutionary struggle, science, and children's reading. Rubber stamps were used. Stamps with the text "Book Depository", "Library No." are still placed on the books of state and public libraries. Stamps were placed everywhere: from the title pages to the margins of the engravings in the book.

Bookmarks were made by artists, lovers of engraving. Gradually, the ex-libris became an element of the book's decoration, and bibliophiles and collectors became interested in it. Artists A. Durer, P. Picasso, V. Vasnetsov, K. Somov, V. Favorsky, writers Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, astronauts and composers, scientists and doctors, athletes and actors had bookmarks.

The creators of home libraries often purchase signs for themselves on individual orders that reflect their needs and aspirations, the nature of the books they collect. The text part of the ex-libris consists of the words “From the library...”, “Book...”, “From the collection of books...” indicating the name and surname of the owner. The emblem of the owner of the book is different from the publisher's mark, the label of the bookbinding workshop, or from the inscription made by the hand of the librarian.

To emphasize the significance of the owner of the sign, to convey the features of the inner world of a person, his connection with society, history, nature, world culture, they used plot-thematic bookplates, painted complex signs, where there were not only figures, but also entire scenes, landscapes, decorated with a pattern of leaves and flowers. Among all the items were books, ships, helms, anchors, dragons, angels, trophies, animals, birds, children, musical instruments, weapons, trees, plants. The bookplate could have the shape of a circle, square, rhombus, oval, rectangle, triangle, contain a background, color.

If you want to have your own ex-libris, then consider how it will be: hand-drawn, stenciled, in the form of a stamp. Do not forget that it may be related to the content of those books that you have, with the nature of your activities and hobbies.

Small-sized graphic book signs turn into whole novels in content, in which nothing can be accidental, because by a book sign it is easy to find out the range of interests of the owner of the book, addictions, inner world, outlook. Libraries, tastes, hobbies, professional interests of the owners are diverse. Among the various plots, the portrait ex-libris stands out, which has a silhouette image of the library owner.

Thought out to the smallest detail, the bookplates deliver aesthetic joy and organically fit into the book. Such bookplates become a kind of element of book design.

Some parents, in order to instill in their children love and respect for the book, to inspire respect for the printed word, to develop artistic taste, came up with children's bookplates. They take us to a fantastic world of fairy tales, travel and adventure.

If you want to make an ex-libris yourself, you can use linoleum.It is soft and easy to work with, which is why the ex-libris is widely used in this technique.But it is best to contact a special master with your order, who will first make a sketch on paper with a pencil, combining the elements of the book sign into one whole - the symbol and initials you have chosen, will develop the entire sign in detail: the composition of the drawing, its size, shape, font.

Artists use different production techniques. For example, woodcut. It's called woodcut. For this method of engraving, hardwoods are taken: beech, palm, boxwood, pear, apple, birch.

A more complex technique is cutting engraving on metal. The drawing is made on steel or copper boards, paint is rubbed into the resulting grooves, and printed under pressure on wet paper.

The etching technique is widely known: the lines of the drawing are not cut on the metal, but are etched with acid, the copper plate is covered with melted wax and resin varnish. On the hardened varnish, the artist draws with a special needle inserted into the pen. Under strong pressure, an engraving is printed from the plate on moistened paper.

Now ex-libris in the form of a print of a cliché made of rubber are common. Modern equipment makes it possible to make such a cliché of such high quality that the smallest details of the most intricate pattern are visible.

The art of the book sign is a unique form of modern printed graphics, its miniature and aphoristic branch, a phenomenon of the culture of reading and collecting, because sometimes an ex-libris is of greater value than the book containing it.

Literature

1. Bludova E. Artist and book. Treasure of my book - bookplate / Young artist. - 1997. - No. 7. - P.44-45.

2. Ivensky S.S. Masters of Russian ex-libris. - L .: Artist of the RSFSR, 1973.

3. Ivensky S. Artist and book. Bookplate / Young artist. - 1981. - No. 7. - S. 46-47.

4. Minaev E.M., Fortinsky S.P. Bookplate. - M.: Book, 1970.

What is exlibris? and got the best answer

Answer from Madeleine[guru]
a site where bookplates from the collection of Yuri Sergeevich Borodaev, a well-known Moscow hereditary collector, are presented. Bookmarks began to be collected by his father Sergei Fedorovich Borodaev, a well-known bibliographer, a member of the Russian Society of Friends of the Book. Now the collection has about 20 thousand copies. Bookmarks from this collection were repeatedly exhibited at various exhibitions.
The French king Charles V, who remained in history as an outstanding bibliophile, in 1367 personally compiled an inventory of his manuscripts and wrote on each book with his own hand: "This book is mine. Charles." It was the first library owner's record, or ex-libris, that has come down to us.
The birthplace of the bookplate in its current form, that is, in the form of a printed book label, is considered Germany. Surprisingly, it appeared somewhat earlier than printing - in the 15th century. In the next century, German book signs reached a high artistic perfection, as outstanding artists worked on their creation - Dürer, Holbein the Younger, Lucas Cranach the Elder and others. The original inscription "Ex bibliotheca" created the tradition of calling this sign a library sign. It lasted until the beginning of the 20th century, and then was supplanted by the expression "book sign" and, finally, finally strengthened in the form of the Latin expression "Ex libris". It was Russified and began to be written in Russian - an ex-libris. Ex-libris can be hand-drawn, stenciled, stamped, embossed on the cover or spine of the book (superex-libris), or glued on. An ex-libris can be associated with the author or the content of those books for which it is intended, with the owner or with the nature of his occupation.
Bookplates appeared in Russia at the beginning of the 18th century - along with other European innovations introduced by Peter I. Naturally, the first owners of bookplates were members of the imperial family, top officials of the state, and representatives of the nobility. The noble owner of the book decorated it with the image of his coat of arms, accompanied, as a rule, by a proud Latin motto. But an even more spectacular way to designate the owner was a super ex libris: the same coat of arms, but embossed in gold on the top cover of the book cover. Book marks were owned by his associates of Peter I - J. Bruce, D. Golitsyn, A. Lefort, R. Areskin. However, "prototypes" of bookplates can also be found on ancient handwritten Russian books. For example, at the end of the 15th century, the hegumen of the Solovetsky Monastery, Dosifei, personally drew the likeness of book signs on the folios of the monastery library.
The first Russian printed ex-libris is considered to be the book sign of Count Konstantin Platter, the prefect of Livonia, and later the chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was then part of the Russian Empire. This badge was printed in 1702. Platter's bookplate was an image of his family coat of arms and war trophies, above which was a drawing: two busts and a globe. The ex-libris is decorated with a saying in Latin: "Ex bibliotheca Constantini Ludovici Plater surpemai notarii M.D.L. Praef. Liv".
The heyday of Russian art ex-libris falls on the first half of the 20th century, when artists - members of the "World of Art" society A. Benois, E. Lansere, K. Somov, G. Narbut, M. Dobuzhinsky, I. Bilibin, took part in the creation of the book sign, E. Mitrokhin, S. Chekhonin, and others. In the 1920s and 1930s, the leading graphic artists V. Favorsky, A. Kravchenko, N. Kupreyanov, N. Piskarev, P. Schillingovsky, N. Brimmer, and others joined the creation of the ex-libris. For years, well-known artists E. Golyakhovsky, G. Kravtsov, V. Frolov, A. Kalashnikov, N. Kalita, G. Ratner, M. Verkholantsev, V. Kartovich and many others worked on the bookplate.
In the next 19th century in Russia, the personal library gradually ceased to belong to the exclusively privileged classes.

Answer from Mystery[guru]
Bookplate (from Latin ex libris “from books”) is a book sign pasted by library owners on a book, mainly on the inside of the binding.

Answer from Alexander Pilgrim[expert]
ex-libris is a book sign indicating that the book belongs to any owner. Originated in Germany in the 16th century. ; in Russia - at the beginning of the 18th century.

Answer from Olga Osipova[guru]
Bookplate (from Latin ex libris “from books”) is a book sign pasted by library owners on a book, mainly on the inside of the binding.
Usually, the bookplate shows the owner's name and surname and a drawing that speaks concisely and figuratively about the profession, interests, or composition of the owner's library. Germany is considered the birthplace of the bookplate, where it appeared shortly after the invention of printing. Ex-libris appeared in Russia under Peter I.
The simplest bookplate is a paper label with the name of the owner of the book (sometimes combined with a motto or emblem). Art bookplates are works of printed graphics. They are created by various engraving techniques - they are engraved on copper, wood or linoleum, they are performed using a zincographic or lithographic method. Among the authors of art bookplates, one can name such outstanding artists as Albrecht Dürer, V. A. Favorsky, and many others.
Among the artistic bookplates, there are
stamps, which reproduce the coat of arms of the owner and are characteristic mainly of the 16th-18th centuries;
monogrammed with ornamentally designed initials of the owner;
plot, which became the most popular in the 20th century and are images of landscapes, architectural motifs, various emblems, figuratively reflecting the tastes, interests and predilections, the profession of the library owner.
Bookplate of the Bavarian State Library (Royal Library). 19th century
Bookplate of the Stefan Batory University Library in Vilna
Bookplate of Arkady Strugatsky, 1980s
Text taken:

Answer from Princess Pretty[guru]
Ex libris means "from books" in Latin. Ex-libris is inextricably linked with the book, the history of its occurrence is closely connected with the appearance of the medieval manuscript book. In scriptoria - workshops for copying books, which were located at the monasteries in the early Middle Ages, the owner's inscriptions were made on books that began with the words "from books" or "from the library" (ex bibliotheca) and then followed by the name and surname of the owner of the book, the name of the library or a monastery.
Book signs are divided into four types according to their content:
1. Armorial ex-libris, the earliest 16-17 centuries. Its creation is subject to the canons of heraldic art.
2. The monogram ex-libris (from the Polish "monogram" - knot) was the initial letters of the owner's first and last name. They were distinguished by elegance and could be considered along with book decorations - elements of book decoration.
3. The plot bookplate conveyed certain events in the life of the owner. Could also consist of elegant decorative elements.
4. The font ex-libris was a type-setting label with a framed text printed with a typographical set.

Answer from Vasily Berezin[guru]
in translation, it means "from books" ... collectors put a personal stamp on books for themselves, so as not to piss off rarities unih))

Answer from Irina[guru]
The French king Charles V, who remained in history as an outstanding bibliophile, in 1367 placed the fund of his magnificent library in one of the towers of his castle in the Louvre, personally compiled an inventory of thousands of manuscripts (from Latin Manus - hand, scribere - to write), i.e. e. handwritten books - there were no printing houses then - and on each book he wrote with his own hand: “This book is mine. Charles". This is the first chronologically surviving library owner's record, or ex-libris. The ex-libris, therefore, can be legitimately qualified as a bookmark, or a sign of the owner of the library.
Ex-libris (of course, handwritten) appeared in Rus' 510 years ago. It was the book sign of Dositheus, the third abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery.
Handwritten bookplates were placed on personal books in the libraries of clerics and the highest royal nobility. However, the owner's inscriptions on the book by hand were widely used in small personal libraries. I remember that on the books of my uncle, who grew up in a large family, it was written (somewhat naively, not quite competently, but still at the same time with a possessive claim and as proof that he can not only read, but also write): “This book belongs to who she lies with - Matvey Ivanovich Stolyarov. Such inscriptions are often made at the present time.
The birthplace of bookplate in its current form, that is, in the form of a printed book label, or, in modern terms, a label, is considered to be Germany. It appeared shortly after the invention of printing, that is, in the 15th century.
Among the earliest French bookplates is the sign of Jean Barthou (XVI century), who left his mark on history in that he was an ardent opponent of Martin Luther, the founder of the Reformed, or Lutheran, direction in Christianity. For this topic, Barthou's bookplate is remarkable not so much for the image (the apostle John with an eagle and the seven-headed apocalyptic dragon), as for the couplet-promise:
Anyone who returns a lost or stolen book,
Get a glass of good wine.
This inscription started the tradition of direct appeal to readers on the bookplate - in the form of an appeal, request, promise, and even threat.
From the end of the XVII-beginning of the XVIII centuries. on bookplates there are images of libraries or a castle, a palace, a monastery, a church in which they were located.
The first Russian printed ex-libris is considered to be the bookmark of Count Konstantin Platter, originally the prefect (lat. Praefectus means chief) of Livonia, and later the chancellor (in Russia it was the highest civil rank) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was then part of the Russian Empire. This badge was printed in 1702. Consequently, the year 2002 is the year of a kind of anniversary of the Russian printed ex-libris, which, starting from the 18th century, has received the richest development in our country of the richest book culture.
Platter's bookplate was an image of his family coat of arms and war trophies, above which was a drawing: two busts and a globe. The ex-libris is decorated with a saying in Latin: “Ex bibliotheca Constantini Ludovici Plater surpemai notarii M.D.L. Praef. Liv.
The original inscription "Ex bibliotheca" created a tradition for a long time to call this sign a library sign. It lasted until the beginning of the twentieth century, and then was supplanted by the expression "book mark" and, finally, the Latin expression "Ex libris" was finally strengthened. It was completely Russified, that is, it began to be written in Russian - an ex-libris, inclined according to the rules of Russian grammar, etc.
The names of two fundamental books by W. G. Iwaska are very indicative of this evolution. The first of them was published in 1902 and was called "On library signs, the so-called ex libris, ah: on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of their use in Russia, 1702 - 1902". As you can see, the signs here are called library signs, a reservation is made to the word “ex libris” - “so-called”, and their spelling itself is presented in Latin, part (after the apostrophe) in Russian. The next, three-volume edition, published a few years later - from 190

Answer from *Butterfly*[active]
An artistically designed book sign - a label, a vignette with the name of the owner of the book or with some symbolic pattern, pasted on the inside of the binding or cover of the book
It came from the expressions: ex libris of such and such, that is, from among the books belonging to such and such

Answer from Pasha Ermolaev[newbie]
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Answer from Yatiana Gubina[newbie]
I don't know

Answer from Roxy[guru]
Ex-libris - a bookmark, a paper label pasted by library owners on books, mainly on the inside of the binding; usually it bears the name and surname of the owner and a drawing that speaks succinctly and figuratively about his profession, interests or the composition of the library ”- this is the definition that can be found in any bibliographic dictionary, but is it all so simple, did it arise so quickly and suddenly bookplate, did it quickly turn into a small picture into a great art, who helped the bookplate to become worthy of other types of engraving, who improved it, made new discoveries and achievements? After all, it took hundreds of years. To understand in more detail, you need to turn to history, and not only old, but also later, since the ex-libris underwent especially noticeable changes at the end of the 19th-20th centuries. The name “ex libris” comes from the Latin words “ex libris”. This is part of the long-used Latin inscription on the book owner's sign: "from books." An ex-libris - a bookmark - is a special composition, which, either by text or a symbolic image without text, or by text and image together, indicates the ownership of the book. The text defines the ownership of the book itself; the image can be associative, and just decorative. A text “on theory” is always desirable for library science purposes, and the more detailed the better. Ex-libris has taken a prominent place in modern graphics as an independent work of graphics. He is increasingly appearing on large art exhibitions in many cities - St. Petersburg, Vologda, Voronezh, Tambov, Kemerovo, Vilnius, Riga, Talin, Krasnoyarsk, Yakutsk - special ex-libris exhibitions. The works of modern graphic artists - ex-librists began to appear more and more often on foreign exhibitions in Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany. The fact of opening such exhibitions is quite legitimate. It reflects a completely objective and historically determined phenomenon - an unusually rapidly growing interest in the book, book graphics, book culture and small forms of graphics in general. But book graphics and graphics of small forms belong to one of the most popular and active types of fine arts, easily finding their way to the viewer.
Ex-libris is now a peculiar genre book graphics, has a glorious history that has been going on for more than five hundred years. The art of the book sign has gone through a centuries-old path of development. Stylistic evolution, as researchers note, is closely related to the nature of modern book decorations. They are heavy and intricate in the era of the late Renaissance and Baroque, clear and balanced, calm and strict during the reign of classicism, especially Empire style, magazine-graphic, although sometimes they were not saved from bad taste in the years of the dominance of the Art Nouveau style. They find a natural, organic form in the woodcut miniatures of the 1920s and 30s, the heyday of modern woodcuts. Finally, they are diverse in appearance and content today.
Bookplate its origin and role in world culture
Throughout the long history of Russian handwritten and printed books, the owners of books and book collections have often had a desire to put their name on the books. Initially, this desire was carried out primitively: inscriptions were made on the book about its belonging to one or another person. The earliest owner's inscriptions of Ancient Rus' date back to the 14th century.
Before the invention of printing, handwritten books were of great value. Therefore, special inscriptions were made on the title page or on the inside of the binding. They usually began with the words ex libris (from books) and then followed by the name and surname of the person or name of the library or monastery who owned the book in question. Later, an image of the family coat of arms, a portrait of a high-ranking owner of the library, or various drawings characterizing some aspects of the life and work of the owner began to be added to the inscriptions.

Book lovers and collectors collect in their libraries many printed publications, each of which has its own own history. In an effort to protect their wealth, bibliophiles and connoisseurs stick or affix book marks on the pages of books - bookplates. What it is, when and where it appeared, how it happens and how this “graphic aphorism” is made, we will try to tell in this article.

What it is?

Translated from Latin into Russian, Ex libris means "from books." It is inextricably linked with the history of books and originated in medieval workshops - scriptoriums at monasteries, where folios were copied. It was there that the so-called owner's inscriptions on books began to be made, beginning with the words “from the library” or “from the books”, after which the surname and name of the owner or the name of the monastery or library were indicated.

Ex-libris owes its modern and familiar to us type of paper label, glued to the inside of the book binding, to book printing and German masters. It can be very different - simple and decorative, black and white and color. The simplest example, familiar to each of us since childhood, is the ex-libris of the library, affixed to the textbooks issued at school. Aesthetically, it does not represent anything, but it carries important information about the owner of the publication.

The bookmark - bookplate - did not remain unchanged, the fashion trends of a particular era, personal preferences and tastes of the owners, and even used technical means seals influenced its appearance.

As a rule, a personal book mark is more or less encrypted information about the owner: his last name and first name, profession, worldview, interests. There are cases when the left ex-libris has more value than the book itself, in which it is located.

When did they appear?

When answering the question of what ex-libris is, it is important to find out where and how this artistic phenomenon arose.

According to scientists, the oldest bookmark is in the British Museum, and it belonged to Pharaoh Amenhotep IV and dates back to the 14th century BC. e. The desire to designate ownership of such precious things as books is understandable. Only the most powerful and wealthy people had the luxury of having handwritten books and tried to signify ownership in order to keep it.

After the appearance of the first printed books in Germany, people needed bookplates by which the owner could be identified. The oldest recorded German book sign dates back to 1450, and french jana Berto La Tour Blanche - by 1529.

Some of the first English, Dutch and Italian bookplates appeared in 1579, 1597 and 1622 respectively.

Classification and types

Developed over the centuries, book signs can be classified into the following two main types:

• font - indicating only the name and surname of the owner;
• artistic, executed in the form of a miniature drawing, briefly telling about the owner of the library.

Let's take a closer look at the art bookplate, what it is and what types of it there are. There are three in total:

1. The coat of arms is typical for the 16th-17th centuries, it depicted the coat of arms of the owner. It was created according to all the laws of heraldic art.
2. Monogram included artistically processed initials of the owner. A similar bookplate (photo above) can be seen in the article.
3. The plot is the most decorative and can consist of many elements, reflecting the profession and hobbies of the owner.

What do they depict?

If earlier coats of arms and initials prevailed on book signs, then modern bookplates in most cases consist of two parts: artistic and textual. And if the inscription, according to tradition, indicates that the book belongs to one or another owner, then the image can be absolutely anything. When ex-libris are being developed, artists are asked to depict one or another aspect of the life or interests of the library owner. Such an image is necessarily symbolic, and it can be portrait or landscape, show elements of the decor or architecture of the library, grotesque or caricature. There are no restrictions, except for the imagination of the customer and the skill of the artist.

AT Soviet time bookplates depicting Lenin, plots and heroes of the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars, labor exploits of workers and peasants, the conquest of space.

How are they made?

Today, there are many techniques for obtaining bookmarks:

• typesetting;
• stamp;
• zincographic;
• lithography;
• silkscreen;
• engravings on various materials.

Let's take a brief look at the different methods that are used when making bookplates for a book.

Woodcut

One of the oldest techniques is xylography - an engraving made on wood. Already in the 8th century A.D. e. in the East received high-quality prints from processed wooden surfaces, and from the XIV century a similar technique began to be used in Europe. This type of woodcut was called edged, it was performed on a longitudinal cut of soft wood, usually a pear, with a chisel and a knife. Due to the resistance of the wood fibers, the process was long and laborious. In the 18th century, the English engraver Thomas Bewick invented the end engraving method, performed on cross sections of hardwood with a special cutter. This type of engraving quickly gained popularity, as it made it possible to obtain thin and clear lines, the necessary depth and smooth transitions between dark and light areas.

Copper engraving

This one of the oldest ways to create engravings appeared in the XIV century in Italy. It is carried out by cutting out the pattern with a special cutter for copper and then filling the resulting grooves with paint. After that, the drawing is printed under pressure, on damp, well-absorbing ink paper. This technique is quite difficult to perform, since nothing can be changed or corrected.

Etching

This is the most popular way of making bookplates, which consists in etching the pattern with acid on zinc or. First, a special varnish composition based on wax and resinous substances is applied to a metal-coated board. When the lacquer hardens, the artist draws a pattern with a special needle and exposes the metal. After the image is transferred, the plate is lowered into a container with nitric acid, which corrodes the metal. On a surface cleaned of acid and varnish, a pattern is obtained.

Modernity

Previously, artists' bookplates were made using woodcuts or etchings, but today most of the book signs are executed through an imprint of rubber clichés. Modern technical means make it possible to engrave the smallest elements of an ex-libris, which makes it possible to create the most complex works of art.

Book labels in Russia

Until the 18th century, handwritten books were common in Russia, and in order to preserve them, the owners simply made an "owner's inscription" in which the name and surname were indicated. Thanks to the Russian pioneer printer Ivan Fedorov, the first printed book sign appeared at the beginning of the 18th century. Initially, these were only emblematic images, but plot drawings gradually began to appear, equipped with a brief motto expressing the life position of the owner. During the reign of Peter the Great, secular literature became widespread and ex-libris became fashionable. Drawings applied to printed publications become the subject of public discussion and discussion, reflecting social status owner.

In the 19th century, a layer of the intelligentsia was actively formed in Russia, and the personal library ceased to be a symbol of privilege. Many enlightened people, scientists, writers are gradually forming extensive library collections. This contributed to the widespread use of ex-libris, but led to its simplification. Instead of pompous or monograms, a regular frame appeared, made in a typographical way, into which the personal data of the owner and the permanent place of the book were entered - the number and shelves.

In the 20th century, bookplate became practically an independent genre of graphic art. This was facilitated by the fact that in Russia such outstanding artists as Lev Bakst, Elena Lansere, Mikhail Dobuzhinsky and many others were engaged in this genre. It is also known that in 1901 the only bookplate of Vasnetsov was created, or rather, the woodcut “From the books of I.S. Ostroukhov” was made by the famous engraver of that time V.V. Mate according to the drawing, which the artist made in ink.

Modern history of the bookmark

After the revolution of 1917 and the civil war, many graphic artists appeared, such as Nikolai Kupriyanov, Vladimir Favorsky, and other masters. The subject matter of the ex-libris expanded considerably, and the book sign began to show the individual personality traits and predilections of book owners.

The next period of bookplate popularity in our country was the 60-70s of the last century, when people became interested in collecting books. Despite the fact that creativity at that time was severely limited by ideological boundaries, the artists created many interesting and unusual book signs.

Today, in the 21st century, interest in ex-libris is becoming stronger. This is due, first of all, to the fact that more and more of our contemporaries are striving to have their own personal book sign, which is inherited, such as, for example, an ex-libris, the photo of which is below.

Instead of a conclusion

Currently, bookmarks serve not only to preserve the integrity of the library, but also as collectibles. They can tell a lot about a particular era, owners and their fates. Answering the question about ex-libris - what it is, we can say that it is not only a modern genre of graphic art, but also an objective memory of bygone times and people.

Bookplate (from Latin ex libris - from books) is a small artistically designed label indicating that a book belongs to a particular person or library. Usually the ex-libris was pasted on the inside of the top cover of the binding.
All bookplates are monuments of their time, and their study is very important. It allows us to trace the fate of private libraries, find out their composition and place in the culture of Russia.
The homeland of the ex-libris is Germany. The author of one of the first bookplates was the great artist Albrecht Dürer. The most common plot of the first
the ex-libris had the coat of arms of the owner of the library.
The first Russian ex-libris, drawn by hand, belongs to Dosifey, hegumen of the Solovetsky library. It is uncomplicated: a large letter C, inside of which there is an inscription: "Priest Monk Dositheus." At that time, there were few libraries, and there were no prerequisites for the development of bookplates.
The printed book sign appeared in Russia only at the beginning of the 18th century.
At first, it was also a stamp, but soon plot bookplates appeared. A drawing and a short motto characterized the interests of the library owner.
The rapid growth of book publishing, book trade with European countries led to the creation of a large number of personal libraries. Companions of Peter I had very large for that time, well-selected book collections: D-M. Golitsyn, Ya.V. Bruce, A.A. Matveev. These were enlightened figures of the Petrine era. It was on their books that the first printed bookplates in Russia appeared - miniature woodcuts.

The library of Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn (1665-1737) - a full member of the Supreme Privy Council - was at that time the largest and consisted of about 6,000 volumes. She was kept in his ro-
dova estate - the famous village of Arkhangelskoye near Moscow. On the books of his collection there is a font ex-libris in Latin: "Ex Bibliotheca Archecellina" - "From the library of Arkhangelsk". This sign was made at the beginning of the 18th century.
Count Yakov Vilimovich Bruce (1670-1735) - Field Marshal, Senator, President of the Berg and Manufacture Board, participant in campaigns, organizer of the Navigation School in Moscow, one of the creators of Russian artillery - was the son of a native of Scotland, was born in Moscow , received an excellent education, was the academic secretary of Peter the Great. In the battle of Poltava he commanded artillery and was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. For outstanding services, he was granted the title of count, and the engraved bookmark depicts a coat of arms surrounded by a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, on which we read the words: "For faith and fidelity."
The library of J. Bruce consisted of 1500 volumes and had an encyclopedic character. It includes books on the natural sciences, military art, philosophy, history, and medicine. According to the will, the entire library entered the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg in 1735, and the first engraved bookmark in Russia was pasted on the books, representing a complex
heraldic composition, characteristic of most of the armorial bookplates of the 18th century.
It was at this time that book-collecting flourished in Russia. The whole of Europe knows the excellent book collections of Russian bibliophiles - A.K. Razumovsky, F.G. Golitsyna, N.P. Buturlina, N.P. Rumyantsev and others. Collecting books was considered the most important patriotic cause. Count Rumyantsev, for example, bequeathed his huge library (about 300,000 volumes and more than 700 manuscripts) to the people "for the benefit of the Fatherland and good education." It formed the basis of the book fund of the famous Rumyantsev Public Library.
In the 19th century, monograms, type labels and stamps replaced the emblematic bookmarks.
The monogram ex-libris (from the Polish "Wezel" - "knot") is the intertwined initial letters of the owner's first and last name. Such, for example, is the sign of Prince Viktor Nikolayevich Gagarin (1844-1912), in which the owner's initials are intertwined in a rather complex ornament, topped with a princely crown.
The change in the social composition of library owners contributed to the emergence a large number type book signs. They were indicated
only the name, patronymic and surname of the owner, sometimes even without the words "Ex libris". Such bookplates marked books in the libraries of writers N.S. Leskova, A.P. Chekhov, Count A.K. Tolstoy and others. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy had a modest sign in the form of a ring with the text "Library of Yasnaya Polyana". On books from the collection of V.Ya. Bryusov - an imprint of the stamp "Valery Bryusov".
The most common type of book signs is the plot ex-libris. It depicts everyday and genre scenes, elements of architectural structures, the interior of libraries, individual books and objects.
The first Russian plot ex-libris was a book sign, created more than 200 years ago by the famous engraver of that time G.I. Skorodumov (1755-1792) for the library of the State Chancellor of Russia Alexander Andreyevich Bezborodko (1747-1799).
It depicts a tree intertwined with a garland of flowers, and in the center of the composition is engraved in a beautiful font the text with the title and surname of the owner.
More than a hundred years ago, artists paid little attention to the subject ex-libris. But at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries, artists began to work on it, united around the journal "World of Art" - A.N. Benois, L.S. Bakst, I.Ya. Bilibin,
M.V. Dobuzhinsky, B.M. Kustodiev,
HER. Lansere, D.I. Mitrokhin, G.I. Narbut, K.A. Somov, SV. Chekhonin and others. They created many highly artistic ex-libris stories.
In the 1920s, amazing bookplates were created in woodcuts by V.A. Favorsky, A.I. Kravchenko,
N.I. Piskareva, N.P. Dmitrovsky. Late 50s - early 60s. bookplates of the most famous woodcuts of our time appeared: N. Kalita, A. Kalashnikov, D. Bisti.
But how many bookplates have been created in the entire history of their development? About a million book signs are known in the world. More than a hundred thousand of them were created in Russia.