Iosif Prekrasnyi. Pereselenie Iakova v Egipet (Joseph Prekrasnyi. Jacob's Move to Egypt) [Lubok Etching]

S. l.: V. Sharapova, 1850. Softcover. Hand-colored etching; paper size - 21 x 28, plate size - 18 x 22; twelve smaller images, each with ornate borders, surrounding a central, larger one; each one with a caption describing it; 1/2" loss of paper to upper corners; several short cuts to edges repaired on verso; small puncture to intersecting crease lines; colors bright; overall in very good condition.An unusually large and quite beautiful, the broadside represented the popular Lubok tradition of printing, often regarded as the precursor to the modern comic strip. The Russian Lubki were influenced by Western European engravings and woodcuts from the 15th century and were very popular with the lower and middle classes, as they allowed the people with modest means to afford artwork to decorate their homes. Several genres existed, including religious ones, fables, alphabets and numbers, and even war propaganda in the early 20th century. The current one described Jacob's moving his family to Egypt (Genesis 45:16 - 47:12).