DE ADMINISTRANDO IMPERIO
Short description:
A secret document written in the 10th century by Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus and addressed to his son and heir, the future Romanos II. The treatise, full of worldly wisdom, is a lecture or manual for a monarch on how to rule the state successfully.
Artists:
Edition:
7 copies numbered and signed by the publisher and the artist. Copy № 1 is in the collection of the State Hermitage.
Additional information
Details of the creation of this masterpiece
-
Year of publication:2009
-
Number of pages:160
-
Dimensions:520 × 360 mm
-
Paper:Velin d`Arsches (France), 250 g/m², handmade; Tintoretto (Italy), 250 g/m2, handmade
Language:
Russian
The treatise, usually known by its Latin title De Administrando Imperio, is a secret document written before the fall of the Byzantine Empire, a unique part of the world’s literary heritage. It was compiled in the 10th century by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus and addressed to his son and heir, the future Romanos II.
Participants in the work on this publication:
Creator of the illustrations and ornamental vignettes — Yury Lyukshin
Layout — Yevgeny BolshakovParticipants in the work on this publication:
Creator of the illustrations and ornamental vignettes — Yury Lyukshin
Design of the cover and jewelry work — Pavel Yekushev, Victor Nikolsky
Binding work — Andrei Degtev, Andrei Kulikov
Proof-reading — Olga Akbulatova
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus’s work De Administrando Imperio (“On the Governance of the Empire”) was translated from the original Greek into Russian by Academician Gennady Litavrin.
The text for this edition was prepared on the basis of the translation made by Rustem Gimadeyev, Candidate of Philological Sciences, and printed in the Minion Pro typeface.
The text for this edition was prepared on the basis of the translation made by Rustem Gimadeyev, Candidate of Philological Sciences, and printed in the Minion Pro typeface.
The book contains 12 exquisite illustrations meticulously created by hand in a mixed technique (watercolour, gouache and tempera) and embellished with gilding by Yury Lyukshin, an Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.
The artist interprets canonical forms through the lens of his own vision and talent, producing images on the basis of a unique blend of styles, devices and rules for painting. For the “visual commentary” on the written text, key episodes in the narrative were selected: the story of Constantine Porphyrogenitus’s creation of the treatise, his activities in the spheres of public enlightenment and legislation, the baptism of Princess Olga (of Kievan Rus’), the construction of new churches and palaces, descriptions of military victories.
The artist interprets canonical forms through the lens of his own vision and talent, producing images on the basis of a unique blend of styles, devices and rules for painting. For the “visual commentary” on the written text, key episodes in the narrative were selected: the story of Constantine Porphyrogenitus’s creation of the treatise, his activities in the spheres of public enlightenment and legislation, the baptism of Princess Olga (of Kievan Rus’), the construction of new churches and palaces, descriptions of military victories.
The book is bound in skilfully finished leather, and the cover is made in a Byzantine style from the era of the Macedonian Renaissance, the main aesthetic qualities of which were splendour and luxury. That is why the materials selected for the mount that adorns the cover include silver, gold and precious stones — sapphires, emeralds and rubies, as well as coloured enamel. The mount takes the form of a cross containing images from Byzantine miniatures within it.
The mount is decorated with fantastic zoomorphic motifs full of symbolism and allegory that were a traditional feature of Byzantine ornamentation. The spine of the book carries a gilded silver plate in the form of its title.
The mount is decorated with fantastic zoomorphic motifs full of symbolism and allegory that were a traditional feature of Byzantine ornamentation. The spine of the book carries a gilded silver plate in the form of its title.
A unique map of the Byzantine Empire was created especially for this publication. It was drawn up on the basis of the historical information contained in the treatise and is supplemented by a plan of the great imperial palace and a map of Constantinople, the capital of the empire.
The endpapers are made from hand-made silk specially woven for this publication by Italian craftspeople inspired by motifs from traditional Byzantine ornamentation.
This book makes an impact not only with its magnificent illustrations and the exquisite luxury of the gilded silver mount on the cover adorned by sapphires, emeralds and rubies, but also with its impressive dimensions and weight. Altogether, the book weighs 25 kilos, around four kilos of which is made up by the silver reliefs.
The endpapers are made from hand-made silk specially woven for this publication by Italian craftspeople inspired by motifs from traditional Byzantine ornamentation.
This book makes an impact not only with its magnificent illustrations and the exquisite luxury of the gilded silver mount on the cover adorned by sapphires, emeralds and rubies, but also with its impressive dimensions and weight. Altogether, the book weighs 25 kilos, around four kilos of which is made up by the silver reliefs.
Additional information
Details of the creation of this masterpiece
About this edition
About this edition:
-
Year of publication:2009
-
Number of pages:160
-
Dimensions:520 × 360 mm
-
Paper:Velin d`Arsches (France), 250 g/m², handmade; Tintoretto (Italy), 250 g/m2, handmade
Language:
Russian
The treatise, usually known by its Latin title De Administrando Imperio, is a secret document written before the fall of the Byzantine Empire, a unique part of the world’s literary heritage. It was compiled in the 10th century by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus and addressed to his son and heir, the future Romanos II.
Participants in the work on this publication:
Creator of the illustrations and ornamental vignettes — Yury Lyukshin
Layout — Yevgeny BolshakovParticipants in the work on this publication:
Creator of the illustrations and ornamental vignettes — Yury Lyukshin
Design of the cover and jewelry work — Pavel Yekushev, Victor Nikolsky
Binding work — Andrei Degtev, Andrei Kulikov
Proof-reading — Olga Akbulatova
Text
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus’s work De Administrando Imperio (“On the Governance of the Empire”) was translated from the original Greek into Russian by Academician Gennady Litavrin.
The text for this edition was prepared on the basis of the translation made by Rustem Gimadeyev, Candidate of Philological Sciences, and printed in the Minion Pro typeface.
The text for this edition was prepared on the basis of the translation made by Rustem Gimadeyev, Candidate of Philological Sciences, and printed in the Minion Pro typeface.
Illustrations
The book contains 12 exquisite illustrations meticulously created by hand in a mixed technique (watercolour, gouache and tempera) and embellished with gilding by Yury Lyukshin, an Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.
The artist interprets canonical forms through the lens of his own vision and talent, producing images on the basis of a unique blend of styles, devices and rules for painting. For the “visual commentary” on the written text, key episodes in the narrative were selected: the story of Constantine Porphyrogenitus’s creation of the treatise, his activities in the spheres of public enlightenment and legislation, the baptism of Princess Olga (of Kievan Rus’), the construction of new churches and palaces, descriptions of military victories.
The artist interprets canonical forms through the lens of his own vision and talent, producing images on the basis of a unique blend of styles, devices and rules for painting. For the “visual commentary” on the written text, key episodes in the narrative were selected: the story of Constantine Porphyrogenitus’s creation of the treatise, his activities in the spheres of public enlightenment and legislation, the baptism of Princess Olga (of Kievan Rus’), the construction of new churches and palaces, descriptions of military victories.
Binding
The book is bound in skilfully finished leather, and the cover is made in a Byzantine style from the era of the Macedonian Renaissance, the main aesthetic qualities of which were splendour and luxury. That is why the materials selected for the mount that adorns the cover include silver, gold and precious stones — sapphires, emeralds and rubies, as well as coloured enamel. The mount takes the form of a cross containing images from Byzantine miniatures within it.
The mount is decorated with fantastic zoomorphic motifs full of symbolism and allegory that were a traditional feature of Byzantine ornamentation. The spine of the book carries a gilded silver plate in the form of its title.
The mount is decorated with fantastic zoomorphic motifs full of symbolism and allegory that were a traditional feature of Byzantine ornamentation. The spine of the book carries a gilded silver plate in the form of its title.
A unique map of the Byzantine Empire was created especially for this publication. It was drawn up on the basis of the historical information contained in the treatise and is supplemented by a plan of the great imperial palace and a map of Constantinople, the capital of the empire.
The endpapers are made from hand-made silk specially woven for this publication by Italian craftspeople inspired by motifs from traditional Byzantine ornamentation.
This book makes an impact not only with its magnificent illustrations and the exquisite luxury of the gilded silver mount on the cover adorned by sapphires, emeralds and rubies, but also with its impressive dimensions and weight. Altogether, the book weighs 25 kilos, around four kilos of which is made up by the silver reliefs.
The endpapers are made from hand-made silk specially woven for this publication by Italian craftspeople inspired by motifs from traditional Byzantine ornamentation.
This book makes an impact not only with its magnificent illustrations and the exquisite luxury of the gilded silver mount on the cover adorned by sapphires, emeralds and rubies, but also with its impressive dimensions and weight. Altogether, the book weighs 25 kilos, around four kilos of which is made up by the silver reliefs.
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus
DE ADMINISTRANDO IMPERIO
A secret document or manual for a monarch on how to rule the state successfully