Sofiia Chelovian
Leading Librarian, Department of Scientific Research of Special Kinds of Documents of the Research Institute for Art Library Resources, Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv
The Latin Descriptions of the University of Oxford Complex of the Late XVII Century based on David Loggan’s Engravings
The article is devoted to the little-known publication “Oxonia illustrata” (1675) – a copper-engraved itinerary of all important locations of the University of Oxford, of the appearance of this educational institution’s various workers and scholars, and additionally the city map. The master’s biography, as well as the reasons and conditions for the creation of the book are described. D. Loggan’s artistic education and knowledge of the Dutch art school are revealed to play a major role in him being appointed as the project executor. The illustrated guide’s mission was the international promotion of Oxford in general and its university in particular. The result was a graphic work of exceptional artistic skill and cultural significance, which displayed the Oxford architecture at the end of the 17th c. and historical information about the city and university sights.
The Latin texts of the engravings are analyzed, in particular their dictionary, composed in Neo-Latin with the model of Classical and “admixtures” of Medieval Latin, and typographic features. The book’s three documents and one engraving translation is provided by the author of this article, and lexical and factual-historical errors made by Loggan in the writing are identified and explained. Typographic features are generally represented by the ligatures of diphthongs and consonant letter combinations, the “&” logogram and the “ꝫ” siglum. The engravings’ linguistic component review demonstrated once again the translator’s requirement to verify and take into account the socio-political aspects of a particular nation or state.
“Oxonia illustrata” manifests itself as the grand matter of historical, cultural, and ethnolinguistic content. The article proves the publication’s aesthetic and scientific importance, as is and the potential of its thorough consideration as a basis for the philological and art-historical research.
Keywords: David Loggan, “Oxonia illustratа”, an engraving, the Latin language, the University of Oxford.
References
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