RARUS'S GALLERY

Voyage picturesque throughout Russia, decorated with 30 engravings collected by Count Carl Rechberg, and engraved by the best artists, with a historical text compiled by G.P. Depping. Paris,  1832, Grand in Folio, 52x35 cm. In a magnificent composite morocco binding with a gold embossing on the covers and the back of the book, from the library of Count Georgy Georgievich Meklenburgsky (1859-1909), son of the Great Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna (1827-1898). A copy with a double suite: 30 engravings are black and white and 30 engravings are hand painted at that time: water colour, gouache, and tempera. All texts on the engravings are in French. The majority of sheets show L. Klenze or Manz as artists, who actually were the drawers who prepared someone else’s originals for engraving. The authors of drawings were Emelian Mikhailovich Karnejeff (22 drawings), J. Delabarthe (1), Alexeyev (1),Damame-Demartrais (1), Patersen (1), who were not the worst ones, etc.

It is known that Emelian Korneyev was attached to the General Sprengporten who by order of the Emperor Alexander I travelled extensively throughout Russia between 1802 and 1805. During that time, Korneyev made a great number of drawings which attracted the attention of the Bavarian ambassador to the Russian court Count Carl Rechberg, a passionate collector of water colours and drawings with the Russian theme. Rechberg offered to Korneyev to published sketchbooks of engravings made after his drawings. It was exactly what the artist dreamt about: to show to a wide audience his works – views of the distant corners of Russia and the indigenous people.

So, Korneyev went abroad together with Rechberg. There he worked hard over a two-volume sketchbook “Les peuples de la Russie” consisting of 96 engravings. “All drawings contained in this work were most wonderfully created by the honoured master Mr. Korneyev during his three-year stay in Munich”, the editor wrote. Munich, the capital of the Bavarian Kingdom, was the native city of Carl Rechberg.

Here also lived his famous brother Aloysius von Rechberg, a famous diplomat, minister of foreign affairs, participant of the Vienna Congress and Carlsbad Conference. Here, in Munich E. Korneyev made drawings relying on his road sketches and then supervised the manufacture of engraving boards. The sketchbook was printed in Paris in 1812-13 without author’s supervision. Two splendid volumes did not contain an exhausting number of drawings and ideas of the editor and the artist. However, Europe was torn by the Napoleonic wars. Korneyev came back home, and Count Rechberg became the Chief Intendant of the Bavarian Army for many years ahead. It was until the early 30s that Rechberg returned to publishing his main work. The appearance of such copy of “Voyage pittoresque ” is a real happening. The greatest joy!