The Christmas book engraving

The incunabulum originated from the centuries-old tradition of the illuminated manuscripts harmonically connected achievements of the Byzantine and the West-European book cultures and gave many examples of an inexhaustible creativity which still bewitches our contemporaries. Talented engravers and printers worked on incunabula design.

Appearance of incunabula initiated engravings, the most popular and democratic kind of art which, from the first steps of its existence, became the perfect means of distribution of images and artistic ideas. Wood-engraving at first, then metallography were the integral part of incunabula at all stages of historical evolution.

In the ХVІІ–ХVІІІ centuries religious engravings were widely widespread among the Slavs. Gospels, anfologions, missals and prayer books were illustrated with engravings. The exhibition presents prayer books of the ХVІІ–ХVІІІ centuries with engravings dedicated to the Christmas holiday: Belarusian publications by Mogilev and Kutein printing houses, books published by Moscow printing house, and Ukrainian publications. There are illustrations autographed by the eminent Belarusian engraver V. Voschanka, and Ukrainian masters A. Gochemsky and I. Strilbitsky and others.