ALEXANDER II, OF RUSSIA (1855-1881) — [IMPERIAL CORONATION ALBUM]

Lot 284
13.07.2023 10:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 20 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 993001
Lot 284 | ALEXANDER II, OF RUSSIA (1855-1881) — [IMPERIAL CORONATION ALBUM]
Estimate value
£ 20 000 – 30 000
ALEXANDER II, OF RUSSIA (1855-1881) — [IMPERIAL CORONATION ALBUM]

Description du sacre et du couronnement de leurs Majestes Imperiales l’Empereur Alexandre II et l’Imperatrice Marie Alexandrovna. St. Petersburg: Academie Imperiale des Sciences, 1856.

First edition of the most sumptuous of the Imperial Coronation albums. A magnificent and monumental deluxe publication recording the coronation of Tsar Alexander II and his Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna. This French language issue contains fine lithographs by Lemercier of Paris of the highest quality and are also some of the largest to appear in book form. Privately issued at the time of the coronation to guests and participants, it is 'one of the most spectacular and ambitious Russian imprints of the century, it was never offered for sale and is a great bibliographic rarity. A magnificent publication' (Fekula). Bobins I, 199; Burtsev 286; Fekula 2019; Lipperheide Sk 9; Rossiiskaia Gosudarstvennaia Biblioteka 165; Vereshchagin 25.



Double elephant folio (900 x 670mm). French text printed in bistre on thick paper, elaborate lithographic title printed in gold, silver and red, chromolithographic frontispiece of the Imperial regalia by Malapean after Bagantz, gold printed lithographic plate with mounted double chromolithographic portraits of the Tsar and Tsarina, 4-part folding tinted lithographic panorama of Moscow, 14 fine chromolithographic plates, many plates captioned in Russian and French, 2 coloured lithographic plans, and 32 lithographic illustrations (2 in colour) in the text on india paper and mounted, some full-page (waterstain to lower margin not affecting illustrations or text, some scattered spotting). Green half morocco, green cloth boards (neatly rebacked and recornered, edges rubbed, new endpapers).





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