Skazki (1900-1903)

(Russian Folk Tales)

Illustrated by Ivan Bilibin

On the left, we show an example of the series of Skazki carrying illustrations from Ivan Bilibin.   This example retains the original illustrated paper cover.

Published originally as a series, Skazki carried the illustrations of Ivan Bilibin just after the turn of the 20th Century.

In 1911, Post Wheeler (Chargé d'Affaires to the American Embassy in St Petersburg) made the following comments in

relation to the the collection of tales illustrated by Bilibin:

To the casual eye the skazki, aside from their unfamiliar nomenclature, do not seem to differ

greatly from the tales of other peoples. The wild and wonderful machinery has all the artifices

which belong to the mass of folk-lore owned in common by the Indo-European group of

nations. Here, however, the superficial resemblance in great measure ceases. It is seen that the

true "fairy" element does not predominate. Not only are the relations between man and the

spiritual world different, but that spiritual world itself is less familiar. The field of the skazki is

not as much fairy-land as a natural wonderland, approaching in it variety and gorgeousness

of surprise the Empire of the "Thousand Nights and a Night".

Wheeler also provided the following wonderful comment on Bilibin's illustrations:

No decorative artist in Russia has so allied himself with the movement which has brought again

into familiar use the striking and characteristic conventions of Russian art of the Middle Ages;

and it may be said that in no way has he more endeared himself to the Russian people than by

the exquisite simplicity of method and fine appreciation of artistic values which he has brought

to his treatment of the skazki. In these pictures he has made the old myths glow again in the

modern wonder tales which are so fresh and fair a part of the youth of the Rissian child,

bequeathed to him from that magical past and that enchanted land the memories of whose

marvels moved Pushkin's pencil when he wrote:

"There is the Russian soul! The very odour of Russia!

There have I also been, and it honied drink have quaffed!

I saw the green oak-tree beside the blue sea-ocean;

Beneath it I sat me down, to list while the learned cat

Told me its stories!"

Our Greeting Cards and Reproduction Images

We have prepared sets of 12 Greeting Cards displaying colour images from Ivan Bilibin's contributions to Skazki and on the left, we show an example of how these Greeting Cards appear. Ordering one of those sets is as easy as selecting the "Add to Cart" feature below and following the prompts provided with our Shopping Cart secured through PayPal. Multiple purchases will be consolidated by that feature and shipping and handling costs to any destination in the world are accommodated by our flat-rate fee of US$20 for every US$200 worth of purchases.   Code: IB S CS(12) Price: US$60.00

When presented on Greeting Cards, these images are prepared as tipped-on plates - in hommage to the hand-crafted

approach typical of prestige illustrated publications produced in the early decades of the 20th Century.

Hand-finishing is used to replicate the visual appearance of a tipped-on plate and the images are presented on Ivory card

stock with an accompanying envelope. We have left the cards blank so that you may write your own personal message.

Should you wish to order a Reproduction Print of one or more of these images, we have provided some options below.

Of course, should you wish to discuss some customised options, we welcome your contact on any matter through

ThePeople@SpiritoftheAges.com.

In the meantime, enjoy perusing these wonderful images from Ivan Bilibin.

The colour illustrations

The Frog-Tzarevna A White Mare which could Fly like the Wind	Tzar Saltan He saw through the Window Three Lovely Damsels	Wassilissa the Beautiful Wassilissa put the Skull on the End of a Stick and darted away through the Forest	The Little Humpbacked Horse He came to the Presence of the Tzar and told him of them
Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C1 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C2 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C3 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C4 (12x18) Price: US$60.00
Tzarevich Ivan, the Glowing Bird and the Grey Wolf And so they went on together to the Tzardom of Tzar Dolmat	Maria Morevna A bird woke him by Pecking at his Sleeve	Martin the Peasant's Son So they dwelt together in Happiness always	The Feather of Finist the Falcon She came to the Blue Sea-Ocean ... and beside it she saw a Palace
Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C5 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C6 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C7 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C8 (12x18) Price: US$60.00
Schmat-Razum Bade them build a Square Tower ... and shutting her within it ... surrounded it with Soldiers and with Ships	Little Bear's-Son The Baba-Yaga came riding in her Mortar, driving with the Pestle and sweeping away her Trail with the Kitchen-broom	Wassily the Unlucky The Vessel which carried him ... cast Anchor at the Monastery	Tzarevich Peter and the Wizard Kastchey
Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C9 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C10 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C11 (12x18) Price: US$60.00	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: IB S C12 (12x18) Price: US$60.00