Collections : [Yale University -Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library]

This is an ink drawing by Igor Filipchenko for the bookplate of E. Smirnov. Also included is the resulting bookplate with the artist's stamp on the verso.

This is a sheet with two drawings in ink by Igor Filipchenko for the bookplate of the Memorial Museum. The design depicts Basil (Vasilii Vasil'evich) Porik (1920-1944), a lieutenant in the Soviet Army who was active in the resistance movement in France during World War II and later named a hero of the Soviet Union. Also included are the resulting bookplate (with the artist's stamp on the verso) and a 1985 Russian newspaper clipping about an ex-libris exhibition held at Bookshop No. 14 in Vinnytsya, Ukraine, and dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War (according to bookseller's description).

This design is an example of an "imaginary bookplate." Rather than referring to mythical or fantastic subject matter, an imaginary bookplate is an artist's conception of a personal ex-libris design without consent or even contact with the designated patron. Artists often create imaginary bookplates for famous individuals, such as writers, politicians, celebrities, etc.