The legal framework of the circulation of Western European books in the Russian Empire (1721-1917)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Our interest in the subject in question is a first step in developing of a catalog of Western European books from the collection of NMAHM in the pre-WWI period. The presence of a rich Western European book fund is an important sign of the level of integration of the population of Bessarabia in European culture and science in the process of Russification and transformation of the province into a Russian gubernia, it reflects the evolution of collective mentality, especially of the nobility and the intelligentsia. That is why the control over the importation of foreign publications was an important function of Russian censorship throughout the nineteenth century.
Based on researched documents we can say that during the covered period, in the Russian Empire the circulation of foreign books was a subject of a strict legislative control. In the control of circulation of foreign books in the Russian Empire, besides the censorship organs, an important role was given to customs institutions and legislation, which regulated the access points for books from abroad, and import duties. This control aimed at several objectives, in addition to that primary to limit the spread of liberal ideas, which could weaken the social, political and national basis of the state. The study of legislation on censorship, allows us to ascertain that for almost a century, between 1828-1917, foreign censorship methods and specific activity remained virtually unchanged. Up to its liquidation in 1917, it remained one of the most conservative organs of the state apparatus, even though the increasing number of foreign books that were reaching the Russian market strained on more and more, year by year, the resources of the committee of foreign censorship, not only through the work of censorship, but also that of preparation of numerous reports and correspondence.
Analyzing the Russian government censorship policy we came to the conclusion that it reflects the dual attitude of Russian autocracy on everything that was foreign. It sought to keep up with Western civilization, but at the same time, it was afraid of progressive ideas.
The item is the lower part of a leg of a festive table made of white and gray marble. In the upper part, it has a protrusion, similar to a Doric capital, on the horizontal platform of which a square recess is engraved, designed to fix the second part of the leg (upper). The lower part of the leg is made in an anthropomorphic style, and, in our opinion, there are two variants of identifying the depicted character...
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The item is the lower part of a leg of a festive table made of white and gray marble. In the upper part, it has a protrusion, similar to a Doric capital, on the horizontal platform of which a square recess is engraved, designed to fix the second part of the leg (upper). The lower part of the leg is made in an anthropomorphic style, and, in our opinion, there are two variants of identifying the depicted character. The first involves the image of the head of the young Heracles (Heracles - Ἡρακλῆς) (beardless), the most favorite hero of antiquity, wearing on his head the skin of the Nemean lion - Λέων της Νεμέας, a vicious monster from Greek mythology who lived in Nemea and was eventually killed by Heracles. The first labor of Heracles, of the twelve set by King Eurystheus (his cousin), was to kill the Nemean lion and bring his skin to the king. It is also known from Greek mythology that the lion of Nemea took the form of a beautiful woman in order to seduce the inhabitants of neighboring villages, who wanted to save the girl from danger. Upon entering the cave, a man saw the woman, who usually pretended to be wounded, and rushed to help her. When he approached her, the woman turned into a lion and killed him. Then the lion devoured the man, giving his bones to Hades - ᾍδης, the god of Hell, who lived in the kingdom of shadows. The second version of the anthropomorphic image interpretation suggests Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia in the second half of the 4th century BC, one of the most famous heroes of the Greek world, who sometimes is depicted as Hercules - wearing a lion's skin. Some researchers consider the custom of wearing the skin of a slain lion a sign of royal power. The word βασιλεύς itself, translated from ancient Greek, means "walking the path of the lion", that is, the king. This title was held by the Greek kings from the Homeric period, and later, starting from the 7th century AD - by the Byzantine emperors.
