Description

This four-volume work documents the expedition undertaken in 1837 by the Russian industrialist and philanthropist Anatolii Demidov (1812-70) through southeastern Europe and the southern parts of the Russian Empire. Demidov was accompanied by a team of French scientists, engineers, and artists. The expedition gathered a wealth of information about the geography, history, archaeology, and peoples and cultures of a region still largely unknown to the rest of the world. Denis Auguste Marie Raffet (1804-60), the staff artist of the expedition, produced 64 lithographed plates for the volumes, along with many smaller sketches and illustrations. Demidov dedicated his work to Tsar Nicholas I (1796-1855), but the tsar reportedly was annoyed that no Russians had taken part in the expedition. Despite its scientific character, Demidov’s work had broad appeal, and was reprinted in French and translated into English and Italian. The countries visited by Demidov and described and pictured in these volumes include present-day Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.