Karion Istomin’s Bestiary and the Upbringing of Tsarevich Alexei

Abstract

Published in 1694 and intended for the young Tsarevich Aleksei Petrovich, Karion Istomin’s Litsevoy Bukvar’ differs from traditional primers in its content and, in particular, didactic approach, which combines text and illustrations. Each sheet of the Bukvar’, dedicated to one letter of the alphabet, contains syllabic verses and various depictions of animals, human beings, plants, and objects whose names begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet. Taking into consideration manuscript drafts of the Bukvar’, the analysis tries to identify the selection criterion for the animal species depicted in the manual. The author puts forward a hypothesis that one of the criteria for the selection of at least some species was the intention to familiarise the tsarevich with the images and appearance of animals present in the coats of arms of Russian lands listed in the Titulyarnik (1672), such as the asp, the serpent, the bear, and the gamayun. In this way, the tsarevich could gradually acquire knowledge of coats of arms. The hypothesis is confirmed by a gold plate engraved with eight coats of arms of territories subject to the tsar, a gift given to Aleksei by his grandmother Natalya Kirillovna in 1694. The analysis reveals that while creating his Bukvar’, Istomin referred to images of animals in the coats of arms of Smolensk, Kazan, Georgia, and Perm. This didactic principle is in line with the general “craze for coats of arms” that spread in Russian society after the appearance of the Titulyarnik.