Moeurs et costumes des Russes,

Complete set of this beautiful series of plates of Russian life with fresh colouring.
The scenes include a Russian baptism, Russian marriage, pleasure boating, dancing and 'Montagnes de Glace' which appears to an early form of dry-ski slope for tobagganing in the snow. This volume shows also a charming portrait of 'Russians at play'. In addition to being a prolific artist and illustrator, Houbigant was an antiquarian and historian, as well as a perfumer who continued his family's business after his father's death. He took classes in the atelier of David's pupil A.C. Caraffa and was a close friend of the archaeologist and collector Aubin-Louis Millin.

Folio (42 x 28.5 cm); half title, title, avertissement; 20 pages of printed descriptions, and 50 lithographic plates, with contemporary hand colour, minor staining to margins of a coupld of plates; loose in the original paper boards with ties and label to upper board, a very good copy.