Novgorod Veche Seal in Publications and Researches

Abstract

The article is devoted to so-called “the Novgorod veche seal” or “the seal from the collection of Count M.V. Tolstoy”, which has not only been periodically published since the second half of the 19th century, but has also been transformed from publication to publication. In the research literature, it is often interpreted as the 15th century monument of sphragistics. It supposedly sealed decisions of the Novgorod veche — the supreme authority of the Novgorod Republic, i.e. was in use until 1478. The iconography of the seal gives some authors an idea of appearance of the attributes of Novgorod independence — the “veche stepen”, that is understood as a platform for orators to speak, and the rod of the Novgorod archbishop. In the article, the author made an attempt to trace the history of formation of such an approach to this monument of sphragistics and to understand how adequate this source is to the requirements that researchers apply to it. The author demonstrated that all known images of the seal go back to the only source — the illustration in the 1855 corpus by of A.B. Lakier of 1855, reproducing the seal of Novgorod voevodas of the late 16th — early 18th centuries. The version that this seal belonged to the Novgorod veche was formed in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries, but in its completed form was presented by A.V. Artsikhovsky. Unfortunately, the acute and outwardly demonstrative idea of Artsikhovsky is refuted by the whole complex of monuments of Novgorod sphragistics.

Keywords:

sphragistics, heraldry, Veliky Novgorod, veche, miniatures, The Facial (Illustrated) Chronicl, Bullas, Seals, Coat of arms