V.K. Malmberg, the classic of the Russian study of antiquity: The Kazan period in his biography

L.A. Sychenkova

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

E-mail: l.sichenkova@yandex.ru

Received August 4, 2022

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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DOI: 10.26907/2541-7738.2022.6.30-50

For citation: Sychenkova L.A. V.K. Malmberg, the classic of the Russian study of antiquity: The Kazan period in his biography. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2022, vol. 164, no. 6, pp. 30–50. doi: 10.26907/2541-7738.2022.6.30-50. (In Russian)

Abstract

This article considers the Kazan period in V.K. Malmberg’s life. The circle of Kazan secondary school teachers and university lecturers in the intellectual space of Kazan during the second half of the 19th century is reconstructed. The influence of the family members and the German diaspora in Kazan on the development of V.K. Malmberg’s worldview is analyzed. These relationships determined his choice of profession as a historian of ancient art. His deep love for antiquity was cultivated by D.F. Belyaev, a classical philologist and prominent professor at Kazan University. It is revealed that the unrestricted access to Kazan University’s library collection of the latest literature on ancient art directed V.K. Malmberg’s line of reasoning. With a careful study of these materials came a good foundation for his subsequent research, which is proved by the recently published evidence from the epistolary collection of the Austrian National Library. It was at the Museum of Antiquities and Arts of Kazan University where he gained his first experience with teaching and working on museum collections. The hypothesis is put forward that V.K. Malmberg learned about A. Dürer’s works and style in Kazan because he explored the museum collection of Western European engravings available there. Future prospects for investigating the early stages of V.K. Malmberg’s professional endeavors are outlined.

Keywords: V.K. Malmberg, Kazan University, D.F. Belyaev, Museum of Antiquities and Arts, ancient culture, German School of Art History, A. Dürer’s engravings, Austrian National Library, Dictionary of Ancient Art

Figure Captions and Photos

Photo 1. V. Malmberg as a secondary school student. Kazan, 1873. From Ya.N. Malmberg’s personal archive.

Fig. 1. Malmberg V.K. Landscape, pencil drawing. Kazan, 1874. From Ya.N. Malmberg’s personal archive.

Fig. 2. Malmberg V.K. A girl’s portrait, pencil drawing. Kazan, 1874. From Ya.N. Malmberg’s personal archive.

Fig. 3. Malmberg V.K. Portrait of a young man in a hat, pencil drawing. Kazan, 1874. From Ya.N. Malmberg’s personal archive.

Photo 2. V. Malmberg before he entered Kazan University. From Ya.N. Malmberg’s personal archive.

Photo 3. Lecturers of the Department of History and Philology of Imperial Kazan University, 1896. Published for the first time. National Museum (NM RT). The collection of written sources. V.A. Bogoroditsky’s personal archive, folder 28-v KPPI, no. 125755-10. The photo was found and identified by A.A. Nikitin (master degree student at the Department of Russian History of Kazan Federal University, junior research fellow of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan). First row, from left to right: professors F.G. Mishchenko, D.F. Belyaev, F.A. Kurganov, D.I. Naguevskii, S.F. Opatskii, D.I. Korsakov, V.A. Bogoroditskii, I.N. Smirnov, E.F. Budde. Second row, from left to right: privatdocents S.P. Shestakov, G.A. Berg, V.F. Lyutoslavskii, N.N. Firsov, D.V. Ainalov, E.D. Grimm; English language lecturer A.I. Mikhailovskii; Latin language teacher K.V. Kharlampovich; curator of the Museum of Antiquities and Arts, librarian P.V. Trautenberg; French language lecturer A.I. Por.

Photo 4. Malmberg family at their country house in Serrist (Estonia), 1914. On the far left are V.K. Malmberg with his daughter Elena. Two people sitting on the steps are V.K. Malmberg’s sons Vladimir and Leonid. From Ya.N. Malmberg’s personal archive.

References

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