Manuscript marginal ornaments by the scribe and icon painter Fyodor Basov (the last quarter of the 16th - the first third of the 17th century)

Emergence of book printing contributed to the development of ornamental design of ancient Russian books. Mutual influence among icon painters of manuscripts and printed books resulted in creating and further flourishing of the Early-Printed style in which headpieces, decorative initial letters, and marginal ornaments were designed. The article focuses on ornamental decorations placed in the margins of manuscript sheets in the tradition of the Early-Printed style, made by one of the most prominent scribes and icon painters, Fyodor Basov in the late 16th - early 17th centuries. They are primarily images, designed in the form of flowers: in the center, there is an element (a phantasy cone, fruit, vessel, etc.) among the leaves on the stem. The author analyzes their structure and schemes of element combination, places an emphasis on their variability. The features of Fedor Basov’s creative style are identified based on comparison with the ornamental headpieces performed by the master, as well as with the art of his brothers Stephan and Gavrila (known as Ivan). Some elements by Fyodor Basov have been found to be similar both to ornaments of editions issued by Anonymous Printing House, and by the printed book The Apostle (1564) decorated by Ivan Fyodorov and Pyotr Mstislavets. Meanwhile, the elemental-and-structural method helped to identify authorial components of ornamentation in the work of Feodor Basov.