The Naval Statute of Peter the Great in Russian and Dutch, 1721

The Naval Statute was the code of rules that governed the navy of Petrine Russia. This copy was printed in St Petersburg in 1721, and its text is given in two languages at once, Russian and Dutch.

The statute was approved as law on 13 (24) January 1720, and its first edition appeared in April of the same year under the title "Naval Statute on everything concerning good governance while the fleet is at sea". Peter I personally compiled and published it, and he wrote the extensive preface, which set out the history of the Russian navy up to 1719, with the participation of Feofan Prokopovich. The statute consists of five books setting out the duties of the fleet commander and his staff, flags, pennants and honours, the duties of all ranks, the order of service on board ship and the punishments for offences; signals are appended to them. In 1724 the statute was reissued, and until 1797 it remained the principal governing document of the Russian navy.

The book is printed on paper by letterpress and bound in leather over pasteboard. The cover bears gold tooling along the edge and an embossed ornament in the centre, and the book is closed with two clasps.