Press Release
Romanov Dynasty Illuminated Through Books from Russia's
Imperial Palace Libraries
Exhibition Opens November 4
Collected
by generations of Russian royalty, the spectacular books that once lined the
shelves of their palace libraries are a tangible legacy of the Romanov dynasty
that ruled the Moscow Tsardom and the Russian Empire for 300 years, until the
Russian Revolution of 1917. On view for the first time in The Romanovs:
Their Empire, Their Books are highlights from the Romanov collections
held by The New York Public Library. Lavishly illustrated books, many with fine
presentation bindings, rare original photographs, watercolors, and exquisitely
crafted religious objects, offer perspectives on the dynasty that ended tragically
for both the Russian people and the Imperial Family. Opening November 4, 1997
in the Edna Barnes Salomon Room at The New York Public Library's Center for
the Humanities at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, the exhibition will remain on
view through February 28, 1998.
During the 1920s and 1930s, after the Soviet government confiscated
much of the material wealth of the Romanov dynasty (including Old Master
paintings, Fabergé decorative art, and book treasures), portions
of it were sold to Western art dealers, antiquarians, businessmen, and
libraries. At that time, The New York Public Library's Slavic and Baltic
Division acquired some 3,000 Romanov volumes, 124 of which have been selected
for this exhibition. Exhibition co-curator Robert H. Davis, Jr., said,"This
exhibit stands the traditional idea of Romanov 'riches' on its head, making
books the focus of attention, and demonstrating that, in many respects,
a finely bound tome or photo album is, in its own way, every bit as spectacular
and revealing as the art and jewelry that we traditionally associate with
the Imperial House, and perhaps even more so."
The
Romanovs: Their Empire, Their Books is organized thematically, corresponding
to the Romanovs' imperial activities and preoccupations that naturally arose
from the day-to-day management of such a vast and ethnically diverse territory.
Broad subject areas represented in the accumulated reading material and records
of accomplishment on display include the law, the military, government, and
the church. The Romanovs also enjoyed leisure activities from the arts to outdoor
sports, and their books reflect these interests as well. The Library's collections
include items from the libraries of twenty-seven individual members of the Romanov
dynasty, as well as nine imperial palaces. But most of the items in the exhibition
were the property of five Romanovs: Alexander II (1818-1881), Alexander III
(1845-1894), Nicholas II (1868-1918) and his immediate family, and the Grand
Dukes Vladimir Aleksandrovich (1847-1909) and Konstantin Konstantinovich (1858-1915).
During the reign of Alexander II, some of the most sweeping social and
administrative reforms since Peter I took place in Russia. On display is
a colorful illuminated patent of nobility signed by the reform-minded Tsar
in 1859, which confers noble status on a military surgeon and is notable
for the state of preservation of its original wax seal, intact inside its
metal case.
A
number of books and objects in the exhibition demonstrate the Romanovs' efforts
to document their empire's diverse peoples, lands, and cultures and also their
efforts to explore the rest of the world. Among the most visually interesting
of these are an album of 86 watercolor drawings of Ottoman costume, ca. 1830;
an album of original 19th-century photographs containing views of the Valaam
Monastery; a unique, custom-boxed collection of 300 spectacular watercolors
depicting the tremendous variety of ethnic clothing across the reaches of the
Empire; and a book discussing American railroads at the time of the Civil War.
Examples of more personal items, such as the Grand Duchess Tat'iana's
A Book of Prayers and Devotions for Easter Week that she kept in
her classroom, are also shown.
The exhibition concludes with a selection of Western views of the Romanovs'
Russia, drawn from the Library's non-Slavic-language holdings. The items
displayed reflect the West's long-standing fascination with Europe's last
-- and perhaps greatest -- empire.
More images
Visit
the exhibition
Curators
Marc Raeff, Bakhmeteff Professor of Russian Studies Emeritus, Columbia
University, and Richard Wortman, Professor of History at Columbia
University, served as co-curators of the exhibition, with curatorial contributions
from Edward Kasinec and Robert H. Davis, Jr. of the Slavic
and Baltic Division, which houses the greater part of The New York Public
Library's Slavic, Baltic, East European, and Eurasian Collections. Professor
Raeff, an internationally-known expert in the cultural and administrative
history of the Russian Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries, also contributed
an extensive and illustrated article on "The Romanovs and Their Books:
Perspectives on Imperial Rule in Russia," published in the Fall 1997
issue of Biblion: The Bulletin of The New York Public Library, which is
available in The Library Shop. The complete checklist for the exhibition
is also included in Biblion.
The Slavic and Baltic Division
of The New York Public Library
Celebrating its centenary in 1998, the Slavic and Baltic Division (Rooms
216-217) is the oldest organized department of its kind in the United States,
and among the first to have its librarians travel to Eastern Europe to
acquire books. The division has served millions of on-site readers, and
is open free of charge to the public. For more information, visit the Division's
web page at www.nypl.org/research/chss/slv/slav.balt.html.
Exhibition Hours
The Edna Barnes Salomon Room (Room 316) is open to the public Monday
and Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday and Wednesday,
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Library is closed Sundays, and on the following holidays:
Tuesday, November 11; Thursday, November 27; Thursday, December 25; Thursday,
January 1; Monday, January 19; and Monday, February 16. For more information
on exhibitions, the public may call (212) 869-8089.
Funding
This exhibition has been underwritten by Pinewood Foundation and PaineWebber
Group Inc. In addition, support has been provided by a major gift made
in memory of Herman Rosenthal, Founding Chief, Slavic and Baltic Division,
by his family, and by a generous grant from the New York Council for the
Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. Davison, A La Vieille Russie,
Museum Reproductions, Mrs. Ania Kayaloff, and Mr. Stephen R. de Angelis
for their generous support of this exhibition.
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