The Russian Ornament Sourcebook

by Viktor Butovski, Vivays Publishing

The Russian Ornament Sourcebook is a wonderful compendium of decorative details derived from ancient Russian manuscripts from the tenth to the sixteenth century.

The book starts with a brief history of Russian ornament by Maria Orlova, a member of the Russian Academy of Arts. The main body is divided in two parts; the first half containing hundreds of decorative motifs in full color arranged in chronological groups. The second half provides templates, which can be used for tracing or scanning details of the decorative elements.

The Russian Ornament Sourcebook is a valuable resource for art historians, graphic designers, calligraphy and typography lovers, manuscripts scholars and fans of Russian cultural heritage.

Text in English, Spanish, French and German.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

335 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2011

Reviews

[Horus]

This book is likely best for those in the arts, although students of Russian/Byzantine history may find some of this of interest. This oversized book is full of colour prints taken from manuscripts throughout Russian history. The motifs displayed are great inspiration for painters, potters, woodworkers, textile makers etc. The large format means lots of space for the prints although they do cram many to a page, meaning that some magnification may still be in order to capture small details. My one critique is that the provenance given for each sample isn’t always numbered on the print making it difficult to determine which is which.

[Heather]

Gorgeous collection of ornament templates in color; wonderful resource for those studying religious texts, following style trends through the centuries, and a great reference for artists and designers.