RUSSIAN PLAYING CARDS, WITH MAPS ON VERSOS, DESIGNED BY GRIBANOV, ST PETERSBURG, C.1830, 60 CARDS

60 engraved cards, each 97 x 64mm., hand-coloured, each representing a Russian province, with the rectos divided into four with the playing card symbol in miniature, a costume portrait, the coat-of-arms of the province and a list of its towns, the versos with a map of the province outlined in watercolour, no visible tax stamp, some finger soiling, without wrapper

Fournier, Russia 5 (dating the pack to 1787, presumably from the date printed on the Ekaterinoslav card); Hargrave, p.272; Schreiber, Russian 3 (incomplete set)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A RARE COMPLETE SET OF THESE EXQUISITE RUSSIAN EDUCATIONAL PLAYING CARDS. The set comprises 52 non-standard suit cards, together with an additional eight cards required to complete the number of Russian provinces in existence at the time. The 1856 pack of geographical playing cards had to expand to 82 cards to represent the increased number of provinces. The designs of the court cards are very similar to those illustrated in All Cards on the Table (Marburg, 1990), number 140, a Russian pack dated to c. 1830. The details of the maps and the heraldry were based on the 1821 Piadyshev atlas and two early nineteenth-century armorial works; the costume designs were taken from the works of Georgi and Rechberg.