A Historical-Architectural Analysis of the Panoramic Image of Kazan by Cornelis de Bruin

Abstract

In this essay, we report using for the first time modern microscopic image processing software to establish the veracity of an intriguing primary source, an early eighteenth-century depiction of the skyline of the city of Kazan. This image is an engraving made on the basis of a sketch of the city’s panorama that the Dutch artist and diarist Cornelis de Bruin made when he passed the town on his way down the Volga in May 1703. Microscopically comparing de Bruin’s rendition in his travel account to early photographs of Kazan, it appears evident that the Dutch traveler supplied a highly accurate picture, the first of its kind, of the contours of Early Modern Kazan. de Bruin’s picture is vastly superior in terms of its precision to earlier illustrations of the city, such as those that can be found in Adam Olearius’s work. As a result, certain questions regarding the age of some of Kazan’s landmark buildings, such as the Siuiumbike Tower, are brought into sharper focus. It turns out that this edifice predates the eighteenth century, while the authors suggest that its purpose may have been different from being military or defensive. In addition, de Bruin’s illustration shows how the defensive towers of Kazan’s city walls were being renovated in Peter the Great’s reign, at a time when historians argue that the risk of raids or invasions into Muscovite territory from the south and east were diminishing, underscoring the continued importance of Kazan as a fortified stronghold into the eighteenth century.

Keywords:

Architectural history, art history, Kazan, Volga, Early Modern Literature, Travel Accounts, digital humanities, Dutch masters