Dmitry Rovinsky
Encyclopedia
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Rovinsky was an art historian and compiler of reference albums on Russian portraits and engravings of the 18th-19th cc. He was an honorary member of the Academy of Science
and Academy of Arts
.
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Rovinsky was born into the family of a Moscow policeman. After graduating from a law college he started his service in Moscow, taking various legal posts. From 1870 till the end of his life he served as the Senator of the Criminal Cassation Department.
From the 1840s he took a great interest in collecting engravings, including the lubok
s. His fundamental works on the history of Russian gravure and lubok were the first ones of the kind. His historical and bibliographical treatises, rich in actual data were highly estimated by art critics and have kept up their significance till date. Being the publisher of his own works, Dmitry Rovinsky paid a great attention to polygraphic processes (was one of the first who applied the heliograph
) and printed books on excellent paper, with superb design, etc. Rovinsky signed away some of his assets to establish prizes for the best illustrated books for common folks, the best research work on art archeology and the best painting, in turn. Rovinsky’s unique collection of etchings and other art works, as well his library were legated to the Hermitage Museum
, Rumyantsev’s Museum
, the Public Library and the Academy of Arts.
Dmitry Rovinsky died on 23 June 1895 in Bad Wildungen
, Waldeck
, Germany
. The "Rovinsky Collection for a Russian Iconography" was published in 2006 in German with a comprehensive commentary.
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
and Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
.
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Rovinsky was born into the family of a Moscow policeman. After graduating from a law college he started his service in Moscow, taking various legal posts. From 1870 till the end of his life he served as the Senator of the Criminal Cassation Department.
From the 1840s he took a great interest in collecting engravings, including the lubok
Lubok
A lubok is a Russian popular print, characterized by simple graphics and narratives derived from literature, religious stories and popular tales. Lubki prints were used as decoration in houses and inns...
s. His fundamental works on the history of Russian gravure and lubok were the first ones of the kind. His historical and bibliographical treatises, rich in actual data were highly estimated by art critics and have kept up their significance till date. Being the publisher of his own works, Dmitry Rovinsky paid a great attention to polygraphic processes (was one of the first who applied the heliograph
Heliograph
A heliograph is a wireless solar telegraph that signals by flashes of sunlight reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a shutter...
) and printed books on excellent paper, with superb design, etc. Rovinsky signed away some of his assets to establish prizes for the best illustrated books for common folks, the best research work on art archeology and the best painting, in turn. Rovinsky’s unique collection of etchings and other art works, as well his library were legated to the Hermitage Museum
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
, Rumyantsev’s Museum
Russian State Library
The Russian State Library is the national library of Russia, located in Moscow. It is the largest in the country and the third largest in the world for its collection of books . It was named the V. I...
, the Public Library and the Academy of Arts.
Dmitry Rovinsky died on 23 June 1895 in Bad Wildungen
Bad Wildungen
Bad Wildungen is a state-run spa and a small town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:-Location:...
, Waldeck
Waldeck (state)
Waldeck was a sovereign principality in the German Empire and German Confederation and, until 1929, a constituent state of the Weimar Republic. It comprised territories in present-day Hesse and Lower Saxony, ....
, Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. The "Rovinsky Collection for a Russian Iconography" was published in 2006 in German with a comprehensive commentary.
Literature about Rovinsky
- Hermann Goltz: Alles von Zarin und Teufel. Europäische Russlandbilder. Die gesamten Rovinskij-Materialien für eine Russische Ikonographie. Köln: DuMont (2006) ISBN 3832177256.