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Rico donates the Iconotheca Valvasoriana to the National Library of Belarus

30. 7. 2012
Upon the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Belarus and Slovenia and the sustainability of their bilateral relations, economic and cultural ties, Janez Škrabec, director of Rico, has given the National Library of Belarus in Minsk a valuable gift - the Iconotheca Valvasoriana (a facsimile edition of rare European art prints from the 15th-17th centuries).
The opening speech at the event held at the National Library in Minsk, which is also the cultural and information centre of Belarus and a unique architectural attraction, was made by Mrs Alena N. Kupčina, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, and Her Excellency Mrs Ada Filip Slivnik, the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia. Riko’s gift was warmly accepted by the Deputy Minister of Culture - and the academic professor Dr Boštjan Žekš gave a presentation on Janez V. Valvasor and his Iconotheca Valvasoriana, which represents a unique monument of art on a global level.

In his speech, Mr Janez Škrabec stressed the importance of cooperation between Slovenia and Belarus and the role of Riko, which aims not only to do business, but also strives to achieve sustainable social and cultural ties.

Iconotheca Valvasoriana is a collection of graphic art assembled by Janez Vajkard Valvasor (1641-1693), a famous Carniolan polyhistorian and member of the Royal Society of London. It consists of seventeen volumes which encompass a total of 7,752 scientific-critical facsimiles of prints and drawings by Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Jacques Callot, and other well-known and unknown German, Austrian, Dutch, Flemish, French, Italian, English and Carniolan Masters of the 16th and 17 centuries. The original copy of the magnificent Iconotheca Valvasoriana, which is well-known all over Europe, is kept at the Metropolitan Library of the Zagreb Archdiocese (Croatia). The facsimiles of the collection were edited by Dr Lojze Gostiša and published by the Janez Vajkard Valvasor Foundation at the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences. So this issue of 17 preserved volumes represents a unique professional and cultural achievement on a global level.

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