Voyage dans la Russie Méridionale et la Crimée par la Hongrie, la Valachie, et la Moldavie.

First edition of some of the finest 19th-century illustrations relating to Russia. The descriptive text, as always, is for plates 1-87 only - the remaining plates being self-explanatory portraits of members of the expedition. De Sainson, Le Play, Huot, Leveille, de Nordmann, Rousseau and du Ponceau were Demidoff's travelling companions on this journey through Russia, the Crimea, by way of Hungary, Wallachia and Moldavia and ending in Constantinople and Smyrna. The attractive plates show scenes typical of the life of the countries through which the travellers passed, forming a pictorial comment on each country, with figures in traditional costumes and local activities, as well as military scenes, a portrait of the Tsar Nicholas I and one of Demidoff himself.

Count Anatoliy Nikolaevich Demidov, Prince of San Donato (1812-70) launched in 1837 at his own expense a scientific, chiefly geological, expedition to Ukraine and Crimea, the Russian territorial acquisitions in the south. Demidov led the expedition, the scientific aspects of the journey were supervised by the French naturalist Frederic Le Play, whilst Denis Raffet was comissioned as the expedition's artist, and Jules Janin wrote the offical account.
The expedition lasted a little over four months during which time Raffet produced numerous sketches. He quickly determined to execute these as lithographs and on his return to France advised the Gihault brothers of his intention to do so. The account was first published in 1840 in a much smaller format and with only 27 plates, while the full-scope publication was delayed by ten years, due to his prefectionism. The results were astonishing Raffet's images are a fascinating depiction of the landscape and architecture of a region little known to western Europeans at that time. The gypsies, Tartars and Hungarians are colourfully portrayed. The quality of the images makes this publication as important a work of lithography as it is as an account of the expedition.

Leon Lemardeley Parisian bookbinder of the late 19th century.
This copy belonged to one of the sons of the French Marechal Ney, 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa.