1807 Hand-Coloured Atlas of Religious and Ottoman Costume

Oblong 4to. Plate atlas with 14 of the 17 engraved plates, lettered A–I, K–M, O, and Q, all with contemporary hand-colouring; lacking plates N, P, and R. Without title page and the separately issued accompanying text volume. Contemporary full sheep with patterned floral endpapers.

A substantial partial plate atlas from Robert von Spalart’s ambitious historical survey of costume, continued by Jakob Kaiserer. The illustrations depict the habits of numerous male and female religious orders, followed by an especially appealing series devoted to Ottoman life and material culture: Turkish religious dress, funerary customs and cemeteries, household and ceremonial objects, standards and insignia, women’s headdresses, musical instruments, and architecture.

One plate signed by Langer, attributable to Sebastian Langer (1772–1841), the Opava-born copper engraver and draughtsman who studied at the Vienna Academy and subsequently worked in Vienna.

Contemporary binding loose but holding plates with partial tear at spine. Occasional light spotting, marginal soiling, and handling wear; the engraved images generally well preserved, with the original hand-colouring remaining fresh and attractive. An incomplete but visually compelling survival of this uncommon early nineteenth-century costume atlas.