[de Rechberg, Charles]. Les Peuples de la Russie, ou Description des Moeurs, Usages et Costumes des Diverses Nations de l’Empire de Russie. Paris: D. Colas, 1812–1813.
2 volumes, folio (485 x 400 mm; 19 3/8 x 15 5/8 in.). First edition. With half-titles. Illustrated with 95 of 96 superb hand-colored aquatint plates after E. Karnejeff, depicting the costumes and customs of the peoples of the Russian Empire. Volume I frontispiece supplied in facsimile; plate no. 18 (“Cosaques du Don”) replaced with an evocative hand-colored night sledding scene. The scarce and often-suppressed plate Le Bain Russe is present. A large 18th-century folding map of Russia is laid in. Recently rebound in handsome ¾ green morocco over marbled boards, spine gilt. A clean, well-margined copy with strong impressions and vibrant coloring throughout. Minor rubbing to hinges, some foxing and light soiling; water stain to spine.
A magnificent ethnographic work documenting the vast human tapestry of early 19th-century imperial Russia. The aquatint plates, among the most ambitious of their kind produced in France during the Napoleonic era, illustrate not only Slavic and Tartar populations, but also Georgians, Armenians, Mongols, Bashkirs, Kalmuks, Persians, and others. The section on Peuples immigrés notably includes Chinese and Japanese subjects—reflecting Russia’s reach across both Europe and Asia.
This is a nearly complete copy of considerable rarity, with only one institutional holding recorded in both WorldCat and USTC. Though one plate is substituted and the frontispiece facsimile, the presence of Le Bain Russe, the high condition, and the inclusion of a period map elevate this example. The work’s rarity on the market is underscored by a copy with 94 plates that brought £40,800 at Christie’s in 2006.
A landmark in ethnographic illustration and a work of high visual and cultural value—rarely found in such well-preserved condition.
