V. Romanowski de Bończa, referred to as Abdolkhaliq de Bończa Romanowski in Farsi documents, shortly called Romanoski or Romanowski, was a Russian artist, designer, weapons enthusiast, museum technician, logotype designer, and diplomat.
Birth:
The documented statements of Abdolkhaliq de Bończa Romanowski, known as Romanoski or Romanowski, show that he was born in Samarkand, although “de Bończa” is a common family name for Polish.
Jobs and specialties:
According to his correspondence with Astan Quds Razavi, he worked in the Russian Consulate in Birjand and was the Russian Consul General to Sistan and Ghayenat. On August 22, 1966, a cultural agreement between the Imperial State of Iran and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was signed by Abbas Aram and E.K. Romanovsky, on behalf of their respective governments. This agreement was later approved into law by the National Consultative Assembly, chaired by Abdullah Riyazi. The objective of this agreement was stated to be as follows: “The Imperial State of Iran and the USSR decided to sign this agreement to publicize their joint efforts to strengthen and continue cooperation between the two countries in education, science, culture, art, and sports in order to maximize the exchange of information and familiarity with these fields through friendly cooperation.”
The archived documents indicate that Romanoski was a museum technician and antiquarian interested in weapons. He also set up the war museum of the Officers’ School, which was moved to the Niavaran Palace after the Islamic Revolution.
In a letter to Astan Quds Razavi in 1932, Romanoski proposed setting up a museum to present the artifacts, objects, and antiques removed from the tank to the public.
In the records of the Iranian Municipalities Union, Romanoski is referred to as a professor of heraldry and a designer of logos, flags, or medallions. He was also a member of the specialized commission for the study of logos and flags of Iranian municipalities, where a group of eminent Iranian and non-Iranian officials, Iranologists, and artists, such as Mohammad Nasr, Aliakbar Bina, Mohammadtaghi Mostafavi, Ali Azargin, Houshang Seyhoun, Yahya Zoka, Assadollah Namdar, Andre Godard, Nasser Ameri, Mohsen Moghadam, General Amanullah Jahanbani, and Fathollah Jalali, were studying, reviewing, and designing specific logos for Iranian municipalities.
Specific logos and flags (emblems) of Iranian municipalities:
General Amanullah Jahanbani, the president of the Iranian Association of Physical Education and Healthy Recreation in the 1950s, commissioned Romanoski to design logos and flags for sports venues and local celebrations in various cities.
To design the emblems of Iranian cities, Romanoski first acquired information on the history, culture, economy, and geography of each city from the association of that city and then started the design under the supervision of the Logo and Flag Study Commission. The designed logos and flags were officially used after the approval of the city association. Otherwise, they would be revised and corrected based on the city association’s views and requites before being officially presented.
Iranian municipalities, which were using the old emblems on their letterheads until then, welcomed and used the exclusive logos and flags designed by Romanoski. After a while, most of the municipalities had their own emblem. This was covered in some of the press at the time, such as Sepid Va Siah Magazine (White and Black Magazine) and Municipalities Magazine.
Archived documents show that the exclusive logos and flags of Iranian cities designed were collected and held in a collection of 6 albums; this collection was disbanded or dispersed after the 1978 revolution in Iran, and its large remaining part is now held in the archives of the Ministry of Interior the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Elham Qalani, a painting and graphics alumnus, recreated the collection titled “The First Emblems of Iranian Municipalities” from 2014 to 2018 based on documents, photographs, and a few survived works of Romanoski.
Establishment of a pension system:
At the request of the Ministry of War, the proposal of the Prime Minister, and the approval of the Senate of Iran, the National Consultative Assembly, chaired by Abdullah Riyazi, in 1974 made arrangements for Romanoski to get a pension because of his old age and also to appreciate his satisfactory services in the army, in which he was working as the museum technician of the Officers’ School until then.
Publications:
- History of Cold Weapons in Iran; Journal of Historical Research
- A Few Decorative Shields; Journal of Historical Research
- Military Uniforms of the Army of the Persian Empire Since its Establishment
- History of Cold Weapons in Iran
- As stated by Zoka, there are also published studies of Romanoski about flags and logos.