Art and diplomacy : : seventeenth-century English decorated royal letters to Russia and the Far East / / By Maija Jansson.

• Superior document: Brill's studies in intellectual history ; v. 244
• VerfasserIn: Jansson, Maija,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, Netherlands ;, Boston, Massachusetts : : Brill,, [2015]; ©2015
• Year of Publication: 2015
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Brill's Studies in Intellectual History v. 244.; Brill's studies in intellectual history. Brill's studies on art, art history, and intellectual history ; v. 9.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (315 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

In this study of Art and Diplomacy we see the relationship between renaissance design in decorated borders and the messages conveyed in the texts of royal letters from the English kings to Russia and rulers in the Far East. These are cases of art serving the Crown, with much of the early limning done by Edward Norgate, the English miniaturist. Printed here for the first time from Russian archives, this collection provides a continuum for the study of the limning of royal letters throughout the 17th century. The letters that the decoration enhances reveal the details of privileges and commercial advantages sought by the English, and the cultural interests of the Russians in their requests for English doctors, apothecaries, jewellers, and mineralogists.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- 1 Instruments of State Policy -- 2 Complexities of Decorated Royal Letters -- 3 Decoration, Format, Design, and Text -- 4 Limners, Printers and Embellishers -- 5 James i -- 6 Charles i -- 7 The Interregnum -- 8 Charles ii -- 9 James ii -- Conclusion -- Appendix 1. Notes on the Letters Printed from rgada -- Appendix 2. Russian Bibliography -- Select Bibliography -- General Index -- Index of Royal Letters.