Rovinsky D.A. (1824-1895), art historian

Categories / Science. Education/Personalia
Categories / Capital/Personalia
ROVINSKY Dmitry Alexandrovich (1824-1895), lawyer, archaeograph, art historian and collector, Associate (1881) and Honorary Fellow of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1883), Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Arts (1870). After graduating from the School of Jurisprudence (1844) in St. Petersburg, he worked for judicial institutions in Moscow (served as the public prosecutor of Moscow judicial district from 1866). Played an active role in the preparation and execution of the judicial reform of 1864. From 1870, Rovinsky lived in St. Petersburg, where was Senator of the Criminal Appeals Department. When he was young, he took a great interest in collecting and studying European and Russian etchings and engravings, as well as Russian popular prints (so-called lubok). His passion resulted in fundamental research works and catalogues, which are still academically significant. These include Russian Folk Painting (Vol. 1-5. 1881), with an illustrated catalogue in four volumes (1881-93), A Comprehensive Dictionary of Engraved Russian Portraits (Vol. 1-4. 1886-89), A Comprehensive Dictionary of Russian Engravers of the 16th - 19th centuries (Vol. 1-2. 1895), The Complete Etchings of Rembrandt, with the Differences between Each Print (one volume of text and an illustrated catalogue in three volumes. 1890). Rovinsky also provided a thorough description, systematization and analysis of an extensive range of historical art data, initiating the study of Russian engravings and folk prints. Some of Rovinsky's individual studies deal with the work of E.P. Chemesov, N.N. Utkin, and F.T. Iordan. Rovinsky left his collection to the Hermitage, the Academy of Arts, The Rumyantsev Museum, and the Public Library. He lived at 43 Fourth Line of Vasilievsky Island (house not preserved).

References: Кони А. Ф. Очерки и воспоминания: (Публ. чтения, речи, ст. и заметки). СПб., 1906. С. 521-524; Народная гравюра и фольклор в России XVII-XIX вв.: (К 150-летию со дня рождения Д. А. Ровинского): Материалы науч. конф. М., 1976; Венок Ровинскому. М., 2003.

V. V. Antonov. Chemesov Evgraf Petrovich
Iordan Fedor Ivanovich
Rovinsky Dmitry Alexandrovich
Utkin Nikolay Ivanovich
4th Line of Vasilievsky Island/Saint Petersburg, city, house 43
Кони А. Ф. Очерки и воспоминания: (Публ. чтения, речи, ст. и заметки). СПб., 1906
Народная гравюра и фольклор в России XVII-XIX вв.: (К 150-летию со дня рождения Д. А. Ровинского): Материалы науч. конф. М., 1976 Russian Academy of Sciences
Academy of Arts
Academy of Arts
Law School
Hermitage
Hermitage
Rumyantsev Museum
Russian National Library