History of a book: Rare books of the XVI-XVIII centuries are presented at the exhibition "The watermark on the European paper of hand-made of the XVI-XVIII centuries" in Omsk

October 14, 2016 in the M. A. Vrubel Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts begins working the exhibition "About Lions, jesters and kings…" Watermark on the European paper of hand-made of the XVI-XVIII centuries". 

The exposition includes books, maps and prints of the XVI-XVIII centuries from the collections of the V. A. Vrubel Museum, the Omsk State Regional Pushkin Research Library, the Omsk State History Museum and Scientific Library of the Omsk State Agrarian University. The museum acquaints visitors not only with the content side of things, with its cultural and artistic value, but their material basis - the paper on which contains invisible signs. 

All the exhibits are printed on European rag paper, made manually, which has long been left in the past.

Visitors will get acquainted with one of the most interesting features of the old paper - watermarked. These are coats of arms of countries, cities and kings monogram.

Among the most unique exhibits, presented at the exhibition, there are two editions from the collection of the Agricultural University Library. It is the oldest copy of the European books - lifetime edition Amathus Luzitanian, Portuguese physician and physiologist of the XVI century, as well as Russian atlas of 1792. The exhibition is the part of it which shows the geographical discoveries of the XVIII century, made by Russian sailors - west coast of America from Alaska Peninsula to the Gulf of the Nootka. This card, as a rule, the owners confiscated from books and used for interior design, in connection with which the atlas belongs to the very rare instances.