"A curious joke or anencrypted declaration?" (On a question of decoding an engraving of architect N.A. Lvov, published 230 years ago in St. Petersburg)
N.A. Lvov (1753-1803) was prominent 18th c. Russian architect. His work included translating and publishing treatises on the theory and practice of architecture. This article looks at a treatise that N.A. Lvov translated into Russian and published in 1790. Of special interest is the frontispiece of this publication. What seems to be a typical allegoric composition of the engraving, in fact, hides something quite unusual. What is it - a curious joke or an encrypted declaration?