St. Petersburg: Shtadler and Pattinot, 1887. First edition. Part one only (of three). Comprising letterpress title-page and ad leaf and 50 lithographic and chromolithographic plates; loose as issued. Publisher's printed boards, spine repaired, ties perished, extremities rubbed, ownership signature of American designer Virginia Conner on verso front panel; scattered foxing to plates; small chipping along edges of text leaves and final two plates; scattered light wear and toning to text and plates; in supplied modern paper chemise.

Scarce first edition of Russian Prince Grigory Gagarin's work on Russian and Byzantine art and architecture. As the long-time Vice President of the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, Gargarin was a major influence on the development of the Russo-Byzantine, or Russian Revival style, of the late 19th-century. The plates within compare ancient and medieval Byzantine art with early Russian design, depicting Greek manuscripts, Byzantine-style churches in Italy, and numerous Russian ecclesiastical designs.

Virginia Conner (1910-85) was a mid 20th-century interior and furniture designer, graduate of the Paris School of Fine and Applied Arts, The University of Akron, and the Cleveland School of Art. She is known for her furniture design, made for the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Henredon Furniture, and others. 

See lot 57 for second and third parts.