Prokhorov, Vasily (1818-1882)

Khristianskii Drevnosti i Arkheologiia [Christian Antiquities and Archaeology]. Thirteen issues in two volumes.

Saint Petersburg: Press of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1871-1872. Half-leather binding. [From the Livadia Palace Library of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (1824-1880), wife of Alexander II]. Item #254

Folio (28 x 36 cm). Thirteen issues, including original wrappers, bound in two volumes. Lithographed plates (some printed in color.) Well-constructed half-leather binding with gilt-stamped spine text; some rubbing to edges; spotting and staining; occasional foxing throughout; marbled endpapers; bookplate of Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of Russia to endpaper.

Russkii Drevnosti [Russian Antiquities], 1871 (complete in six issues)
Book 1 (1-11 pages: 11 plates)
Book 2 (11-21 pages: 8 plates)
Book 3 (21-26 pages: 6 plates)
Book 4 (26-31 pages: 13 plates)
Book 5 (31-49 pages: 8 plates)
Book 6 (49-64 pages: 13 plates)

Khristianskii Drevnosti i Arkheologiia [Christian Antiquities and Archaeology], 1871 (complete in six issues)
Book 1 (1-9 pages: 9 plates)
Book 2 (9-19 pages: 7 plates)
Book 3 (19-34 pages: 4 plates)
Book 4 (34-43 pages: 6 plates)
Book 5 (43-64 pages: 11 plates)
Book 6 (64-74 pages: 8 plates)

Khristianskii Drevnosti i Arkheologiia [Christian Antiquities and Archaeology], 1872
Book 1 (73 pages: 65 plates; fold-out plate in back)

Published in the years 1862—1865, 1871—1872, and 1875—78. It was one of the rarest examples in the Russian publishing history of color photoengraving. A unique artistic and archaeological magazine contains images of ancient monuments of Byzantine art and works of Moscow, Kiev, Novgorod-Pskov, and Vladimir ancient architecture.

Vasily Prokhorov (1818-1882) - Russian historian, archaeologist, and professor of Christian and Russian antiquities course at the Academy of Fine Arts, who was incredibly engaged in collecting ancient art objects. For this purpose, he undertook many trips around Russia in 1863, 1867, 1869, 1871-1875, and from 1862 to 1877. The magazine that he edited and published was a great success, and its main advantage lay in the wealth of illustrative material - images of ancient monuments and works of Byzantine art from Kiev, Novgorod, and Pskov, Vladimir and Moscow.

Provenance:
From the Livadia Palace Library of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (1824-1880), wife of Alexander II. Bookplates of Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of Russia, on endpapers of each volume. In 1861, Emperor Alexander II presented the estate in Livadia to his wife, Empress Maria Alexandrovna. After the reconstruction, the Livadia palace could only be compared with the royal palaces in Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo. Livadia became the favorite summer residence of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Here was her home library, which was decorated with a bookplate on it, under the imperial crown, was the monogram of the Empress "MA" and the text "Library of Livadia."

Price: $2,500.00