52. "Cheia Înțelesului" ("The Key to Understanding"), of Metropolitan Varlaam, the first book printed at Bucharest, during the reign of Ruler Șerban Cantacuzino, 1678, a rare collectible piece

Starting price

EUR 1.800

Sold

EUR 6.000

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Session

Tue, 21 November 2023 19:00

The piece is the first book printed in the first printing house in Bucharest during the reign of ruler Șerban Cantacuzino. The print is in black. The graphics of the work is due to Ukrainian xilographer (according to some researchers, perhaps even a Romanian from Bacău) Ivan-Ioan Bakov (Ioanichie, after he took to monkhood),a craftsman in the printing houses from Bucharest, Snagov and Buzău, active until 1708, also having illustrated Antimian books. The bibliographical marks reveal how appreciated the engraving on the title page was, illustrated as a gate of the book with biblical symbols (the harp, the sword, the trumpet etc.) and, as a novelty, with explanatory texts in Romanian and with the mark of Wallachia’s heraldic insignia; a key is represented centrally, which is the book’s dogmatic motif. The name of the artist is engraved at the base of the engraving: Ivan B., 1678. The back of the title page contains the coat of arms of Hungary-Wallachia, and the typical verses. The third Bakovian-signed engraving can be admired at the beginning of the book, after the preface, illustrating the "All Saints Sunday" icon, an engraving that was reused for other publications, as well. The book had a special purpose, containing sermons inspired from the Holy Scripture, the Lives of the Saints, from lay and ecclesiastic authors and, an interesting aspect, from legends about the Holy Mother, which successfully also entered popular literature. It is bound in old, dry, degraded, cracked, and blunted leather, with a central cameo, potentially the Crucifixion, cold-printed, recently restored, with new headband, and two strap binds. Notes on the end-paper: "This book is the one hundred and thirty first... it was held by Priest Stephen and in Priest Peter’s church in the year 1809. And this book is made of all the books and, in whole, the writing... both the old one, and the new one... read... and... all... This book is the one hundred thousandth..." "In the month of February of the year 1818... I held this book and read it... very wonderful... falling from within it. This book belonged to the honest... ...Ști ...in the Lord and a given...Kirinuș Nicola....I read this entire book in the year 1813... I... Priest..." "This book being in the holy 1821. This book belongs to the priest from Bobâlna, Ioanăș Rus, passed on from his father Priest Peter"; "I, Popa Rus Ioanăș from .... wrote this, January 27, 1823."

Dimensions

width 19 cm, height 29 cm

Research information

BRV, I, p. 68

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