Ex-libris - what is it? Ex libris: Photo

Lovers and collectors of books collect in their libraries a lot of printed publications, each of which has its own history. In an effort to protect their wealth, bibliophiles and connoisseurs paste or put on the pages of books book signs - the ex-libris. What is it, when and where it appeared, what happens and how this "graphic aphorism" is made, we will try to tell in this article.

What it is?

In translation from Latin into Russian, Ex libris means "from books". It is inextricably linked with the history of books and originated in medieval workshops - scriptories at monasteries, where folios were copied. It was there that they began to make so-called proprietary inscriptions on books 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 was indicated.

With its modern and habitual for us kind of paper label, glued to the inside of the book binding, the bookplate is obliged to print and German masters. It happens the most 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, he represents nothing, but carries important information about the owner of the publication.

The bookplate - the ex-libris - did not remain unchanged, the fashion trends of this or that era, the personal preferences and tastes of the owners and even the technical means of printing used influenced its appearance.

As a rule, a personal bookplate is an encrypted to a greater or lesser extent information about the owner: his name and surname, profession, worldview, interests. There are times when the left bookplate has more value than the book itself, in which it is located.

When did they appear?

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

According to scientists, the oldest bookplate is in the British Museum, and he belonged to the pharaoh Amenhotep IV and dates from the XIV century BC. E. The desire to designate the ownership of such precious things as books is understandable. Only the most powerful and wealthy people could afford the luxury of having handwritten books and trying to identify the right of ownership in order to preserve it.

After the appearance of the first printed books in Germany, people needed bookplates that could identify the owner. The oldest recorded German bookplate refers to 1450, and the French Jean-Berto La Tour-Blanche by 1529.

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

Classification and types

Developed for centuries, bookmarks 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 detailed look at the art ex libris, what it is and what kinds of it are. There are only three:

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

What do they depict?

If earlier on the bookmarks the emblems and initials prevailed, modern ex-libris in most cases consists of two parts: artistic and text. And if in the inscription by tradition indicate the ownership of the book to this or that owner, then the image can be absolutely anything. When ex-librises are developed, artists are asked to display this or that 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 cartoonish. There are no restrictions, except for the customer's imagination and the artist's skill.

In the Soviet era, exlibris depicting Lenin, plots and heroes of the Civil and Great Patriotic wars, labor exploits of workers and peasants, conquering outer space were popular.

How are they made?

Today, there are many techniques for obtaining bookmarks:

• typesetting;
• Stamp;
• Zincographic;
• lithography;
• Silk screen printing;
• Engravings on various materials.

Let's briefly consider different methods, which are used when making an ex-libris book.

Woodcuts

One of the oldest techniques is a woodcut - engraving, executed on a tree. Already in the VIII century BC. E. In the East they received quality prints from treated wooden surfaces, and from the 14th century this method was applied in Europe. Called this type of woodcut edging, performed it on the longitudinal cut of softwood, usually pear, chisel and knife. Due to the resistance of the wood fibers, the process was long and time consuming. In the XVIII century, English engraver Thomas Buick invented an end-to-end engraving method, performed on cross-sections of hard wood with a special cutter. This type of engravings quickly gained popularity, as it allowed to get thin and clear lines, the necessary depth and smooth transitions between dark and light areas.

Engraving on copper

This one of the oldest methods of creating engravings appeared in the XIV century in Italy. It is performed by cutting the pattern with a special cutter in copper and then filling the resulting grooves with paint. After that, the picture is printed under the press, on a damp, paper that absorbs the ink. This technique is quite difficult to perform, since nothing can be changed or corrected.

Etching

This is the most popular way of making ex-libris is to etch the picture with acid on a zinc or copper plate. First, a special lacquer composition based on wax and resinous substances is applied to the board covered with metal. When the lacquer hardens, the artist with a special needle draws a drawing and strips the metal. After the image is transferred, the plate is lowered into a container with nitric acid, which corrodes the metal. On the surface cleared of acid and varnish, a pattern is obtained.

Modernity

If before ex-libris artists were made by woodcut or etching, today most of the bookmarks are executed through the imprint of a rubber cliche. Modern technical means allow engraving the smallest elements of the ex-libris, which makes it possible to create complex works of art.

Book labels in Russia

Up to the 18th century handwritten books were distributed in Russia, and in order to preserve them, the owners simply performed the "proprietary inscription", which indicated the name and surname. Thanks to the Russian first printer, Ivan Fyodorov, the first printed bookplate appeared at the beginning of the 18th century. Initially, these were only heraldic images, but gradually began to appear story drawings, provided with a brief motto, expressing the life position of the owner. During the reign of Peter the Great, secular literature is widely spread and the ex-libris is becoming fashionable. Drawings on printed publications are subject to public and discussed, reflecting the social status of the owner.

In the nineteenth century, a layer of intellectuals is actively forming in Russia, and the personal library ceases to be a symbol of privilege. Many enlightened people, scientists, writers are gradually forming extensive library collections. This contributed to the wide dissemination of the ex-libris, but led to its simplification. Instead of pompous family coat-of-arms or monograms, an ordinary frame was created, which was printed in typographical terms, into which the owner's personal data and the permanent place of the book-the number of the bookcase and shelves-were written.

In the XX century, the ex-libris became almost an independent genre of graphic art. This was facilitated by the fact that such outstanding artists as Alexander Benois, Lev Bakst, Georgy Narbut, Elena Lansere, Mikhail Dobuzhinsky and many others were involved in this genre in Russia. It is also known that in 1901 the only ex-libris Vasnetsov was created, or more precisely, the xylograph "Iz книг books IS. Ostroukhov "was performed by the famous engraver of that time V.V. Mate according to the drawing, which the artist made with ink.

Modern history of the book sign

After the revolution of 1917 and the Civil War, many graphic artists appeared, such as Nikolai Kupriyanov, Vladimir Favorsky, Alexei Kravchenko and other masters. Subjects of the ex-libris expanded significantly, and the book sign began to show individual personality traits and predilections of the owners of books.

The next period of popularity of the ex-libris in our country became the 60-70s of the last century, when people were carried away by collecting books. Despite the fact that creativity at that time was strongly limited ideological framework, the artists created many interesting and unusual bookmarks.

Today, in the XXI century, interest in the ex-libris is becoming stronger. This is primarily due to the fact that more and more of our contemporaries are striving to have a personal, own bookprint, inherited, such as the ex-libris, whose photo is below.

Instead of concluding

Currently, bookmarks serve not only to preserve the integrity of the library, but also as collectibles. They can tell a lot about this or that era, the owners and their destinies. Answering the question about the ex-libris - what it is, one can say that this is not only a modern genre of graphic art, but also a subject memory of the past times and people.