The Ostrog Bible is the first complete edition of the Bible in Church Slavonic. It consists of 76 books of the Old and New Testaments and was prepared by the Orthodox prince Konstanty Ostrogski. The Bible was published by the first printer Ivan Fyodorov in 1581 with the blessing of Abbot Job. The Ostrog Bible in a ceremonial leather binding is one of the most beautiful exhibits of the Museum of the History of World Cultures and Religions in Dagestan.
Kadyr Izabakarov, a jeweler from the Dagestani family of goldsmiths, created the cover for this Bible. His wife, Manaba Magomedova, is an Honored Artist of Russia and People’s Artist of Georgia and Dagestan. Their daughter, Leyla Izabakarova, became a famous artist and enameller as well. The craftsmanship of the family was valued all over the world. They worked together on major art projects and received the Ostrog Bible as a gift. The book became a family heirloom, which was given to the museum by the artists’ daughter. Kadyr Izabakarov completed the leather binding of the Bible.
The corners of the Bible are reinforced by melchior plates decorated with filigree. They are crowned by orange carnelian, and in the center of the cross is unakite, a green mineral with reddish flecks. The central stone is framed in a filigree pattern of thin wires. The cross has a vegetal ornament, executed in the technique known as granulating. The rich decoration of the binding reflects the spiritual wealth contained in the book.
The Ostrog edition of the Bible contains headpiece ornaments, typical of Ukrainian handwritten books. They are placed at the beginning of each book of the Bible to decorate the printed pages and make reading easier. The drawings in the edition are dominated by floral elements typical of biblical symbolism: bunches of grapes, pomegranate fruits, and flowers. The rare beauty and style of the Ostrog Bible is distinguished by the numerous bloomers — decorative capital letters at the beginning of each chapter. They are all inscribed in a rectangle and encircled with a white line. Like the headpieces, the capital letters are decorated with a floral pattern and, together with the rest of the design of the Bible, render priceless this edition of the main book of the Christian world.
Kadyr Izabakarov, a jeweler from the Dagestani family of goldsmiths, created the cover for this Bible. His wife, Manaba Magomedova, is an Honored Artist of Russia and People’s Artist of Georgia and Dagestan. Their daughter, Leyla Izabakarova, became a famous artist and enameller as well. The craftsmanship of the family was valued all over the world. They worked together on major art projects and received the Ostrog Bible as a gift. The book became a family heirloom, which was given to the museum by the artists’ daughter. Kadyr Izabakarov completed the leather binding of the Bible.
The corners of the Bible are reinforced by melchior plates decorated with filigree. They are crowned by orange carnelian, and in the center of the cross is unakite, a green mineral with reddish flecks. The central stone is framed in a filigree pattern of thin wires. The cross has a vegetal ornament, executed in the technique known as granulating. The rich decoration of the binding reflects the spiritual wealth contained in the book.
The Ostrog edition of the Bible contains headpiece ornaments, typical of Ukrainian handwritten books. They are placed at the beginning of each book of the Bible to decorate the printed pages and make reading easier. The drawings in the edition are dominated by floral elements typical of biblical symbolism: bunches of grapes, pomegranate fruits, and flowers. The rare beauty and style of the Ostrog Bible is distinguished by the numerous bloomers — decorative capital letters at the beginning of each chapter. They are all inscribed in a rectangle and encircled with a white line. Like the headpieces, the capital letters are decorated with a floral pattern and, together with the rest of the design of the Bible, render priceless this edition of the main book of the Christian world.
