This might be helpful:
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cyrillic.htm

Thank you Chester.

I was looking more for a visual of actual applications of a 15th century Russian letter ‘A’ (I know very specific!). Something along the lines of a photo of letters in a manuscript or on an Icon painting or fresco.

The closest I have found is the attached image of a lower case 'A' (see top entry) , though I am not sure if this is an accurate representation of letter forms from that period and place.

Does this count?

It's from a bar in Moscow.

Then there's this close-up I took, from a church in Novosibirsk,
but I'm guessing this "a" is structurally more recent, right?

hhp

hrant
from a church in Novosibirsk
There is no "А". It's "Д" (de)

how that ‘A’ was drawn
http://xlt.narod.ru/pg/bg15.html
http://xlt.narod.ru/pg/pu15.html
http://xlt.narod.ru/pg/sk15.html

Oh.
Wait, I used to know that! My image is called "ozhde". :-/
Anyway, sorry. It makes a killer Latin "a" though. :-)

BTW, what does "narod" mean in Russian?
In Armenian it means the cloth a baby is
wrapped in after the christening.

hhp

Thank you very much Hrant and Suntory.

I have found this image of a Russian manuscript illumination of the The Gospels, Muscovite Russia, 15th century. The top line of letters are close to what I am looking for, though I am not sure which is the 'A'?

http://russia.nypl.org/history/moscowfull1.html

(apologies for not uploading the image, the option is not visable on my browser?)

>>what does “narod” mean in Russian?
"people"

***
>>which is the ‘A’?
I`m not sure too :-)

Another link (In russian, but lots of images)
http://character.webzone.ru/index.htm

Another link (In russian, but lots of images)
http://character.webzone.ru/index.htm

I don't understand a word, but I love it, thanks Suntory.

alexey, the first letter you're pointing out in your image is the same way the "A" is rendered in hrant's first image as the second letter of the word "Bar".

Here are several samples all from pre 1902. I think this form of cyrillic A is the most interesting. (I wouldn't choose #3, because it may be confused with the cyrillic "L".

>> It’s from a bar in Moscow.
I think they used this font:
IoannIV TYGRA

***
I've found this alphabet on Tygra's CD

***
Handwritten examples:
http://www.callig.ru/history/old-russian-scripts

Again, thank you so much Suntory and thank you Paul too.

Suntory:
Regarding the top type sample (Hrant's bar), are any of the letters an 'A'?

The second sample you supplied is exactly what I am after, it has some wonderful qualities, very evocative of 'old russia'.

A little off the theme of type, but the site below has some stunning images of 'the empire that was Russia', if anyone is interested.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/

Suntory, the handwritten samples are fantastic!

The middle one, the one that looks like a short h-flipped
Latin UC "R" with its stem going up, is in fact a Cyrillic "A".

Check out this thread:
http://typophile.com/node/6785 _
It has a good discussion and some other nice samples.

hhp

>>Regarding the top type sample (Hrant’s bar), are any of the letters an ‘A’?
Yes, the second letter in the first word ("bar" is "bar" in russian).

The first-printed slavic books of the XV-XVI centuries.
http://memory.agir.ru//cyril.htm

"The first-printed slavic books of the XV-XVI centuries."

Just wonderful!

I have a copper container i found, it has a date of 1775. It has 16 or 17 old church cyrillic letters on brim of container. Info translation?? Video on youtube under, "Russian antique copper container" Have learned a great deal of history while researching this container, leaning towards Romanian, ? Thanks for any info. Thomas

Image?

hhp