Mourier - La Mingrélie - 1883

THE COLCHIS OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE – RARE ILLUSTRATED JOURNEY IN THE CAUCASUS OF 1883
An fascinating nineteenth-century monograph dedicated to Mingrelia, the ancient Colchis of the Argonauts and of the mythical Golden Fleece. Published in Odessa in 1883, Jules Mourier’s work tells of one of the most mysterious regions of the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and the mountains of Georgia. A rich iconographic apparatus documents princes and queens, traditional costumes, landscapes, religious monuments, ancient works of art and maps. An important testimony of Caucasian history and culture on the eve of the great transformations of the twentieth century. A work of particular charm for collectors of travel, exploration, ethnography and the history of Eastern Europe.

ABSTRACT
Rare and interesting historical-geographical and ethnographic monograph dedicated to Mingrelia, a region of western Georgia corresponding to part of ancient Colchis, celebrated in Greek mythology as the land of the Golden Fleece. Published in French in Odessa in 1883, Jules Mourier’s work offers a broad panorama of the history, princely dynasties, popular traditions, geography, economy and religious art of this Caucasian territory. Particular attention is given to the Dadiani princely family, Queen Tamar, relations with Russia and the Ottoman Empire, religious institutions and local culture. The illustration section includes numerous out-of-text plates with portraits of historical figures, landscapes, views, monuments, traditional costumes, handicraft objects and cartographic representations. Among the visible illustrations are Prince Nicolas de Mingrélie, Queen Tamar, Princess Catherine, a map of the Rioni river estuary, views of Nakkalakévi and scenes of Mingrelian life. A work of notable documentary interest, which preserves the visual and cultural memory of a region rarely represented in nineteenth-century European publishing.

WHY TO BUY
RARE MONOGRAPHY ON ANCIENT COLCHIS – A specialized work entirely devoted to Mingrelia, a territory of great historical, geographical and mythological interest, rarely treated with similar breadth in nineteenth-century literature. ODESSA PUBLICATION OF 1883 – An interesting testimony of Francophone publishing in the Russian Empire, printed in one of the main commercial and cultural centers of the Black Sea. RICH ICONOGRAPHIC APPARATUS – Numerous off-text illustrations document historical figures, princely dynasties, landscapes, monuments, religious objects, folk costumes and ethnographic characteristics of the Caucasus. THE LAND OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE – The link to ancient Colchis lends the work extraordinary cultural charm, fusing historical geography with classical mythology of the Argonauts. DOCUMENTATION OF GEORGIAN NOBILITY – Particularly interesting are the portraits and information on the region’s princely families, including the Dadiani, protagonists of Mingrelia’s political history. CARTOGRAPHIC AND ETHNOGRAPHIC INTEREST – Maps and depictions of clothing, dwellings, tools, traditions and ceremonies constitute a precious testimony to Caucasian society in the nineteenth century.

MARKET VALUE
The illustrated nineteenth-century monographs dedicated to the Caucasus, Georgia and Black Sea regions constitute a specialized sector of the antique market, especially appreciated by collectors of travel, exploration and ethnography. Value depends mainly on the completeness of the illustration apparatus, the quality of the binding, preservation and actual commercial rarity. For the described copy, an indicative commercial estimate of €250–450.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Half-red leather binding with red cloth boards, spine with raised bands and decorative gilt lines, gilt title and author, signs of wear. Internally, plates with some foxing, slight yellowing and sporadic time stains. In old books, with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Visuals. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the object's actual condition. Images are an integral part of the description. Pp. (2); 8nn; 436; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
J. Mourier.
La Mingrélie (Ancienne Colchide).
Odessa, Librairie Rousseau, 1883.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Mingrelia occupies a position of particular importance in the history of the Caucasus, between the Georgian mountains and the eastern shores of the Black Sea. Its territory corresponds to a part of ancient Colchis, a region known to the Greek world for the myth of Jason, Medea and the Argonauts. In antiquity Colchis represented an important crossroads of commerce, cultural influences and contacts among the Eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia and Caucasian populations. Over the centuries the territory was influenced by Byzantine, Persian and Ottoman powers, yet it preserved peculiar political and cultural traditions. The history of Mingrelia is closely linked to the Dadiani dynasty, which exercised princely power in the region for generations, until its definitive integration into the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century. Mourier reconstructs this complex past through historical documents, local traditions, geographical descriptions and testimonies relating to contemporary society. Sections dedicated to nobility, religious institutions, ancient churches, rural life, social organization and material culture are particularly meaningful. The work thus offers an articulate portrait of Mingrelia at the end of the nineteenth century, at a moment when the increasing Russian influence was profoundly transforming the political and economic balances of the entire Caucasian region.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Jules Mourier was a Francophone writer and scholar of the nineteenth century, particularly interested in the history, archaeology, art and traditions of the Caucasian peoples. His editorial activity testifies to a deep knowledge of Georgia and surrounding regions, with special attention to historical and artistic evidence. La Mingrélie (Ancienne Colchide) is one of his most significant works for its documentary breadth and rich iconography. In later years he published other works devoted to Caucasian cultural heritage, including L’Art religieux au Caucase, published in Paris in 1887, in which he delved into ecclesiastical architecture, decorative arts, manuscripts and figurative traditions of the region. His works belong to the nineteenth-century Italian-style of European studies on the Caucasus and retain interest as testimonies of historical-artistic and ethnographic research of the period.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The work was published in Odessa in 1883 by Librairie Rousseau and printed at the Imprimerie Slave, as stated on the title page. Odessa was then one of the main ports of the Russian Empire and an important cosmopolitan center, where linguistic and cultural communities coexisted. The choice of French, the international language of diplomacy and cultured society of the nineteenth century, made the volume accessible to a broader audience than the local one. The publication stands out for its documentary ambition and for the substantial supplement of illustrations, which enhanced its editorial and scientific value. The plates include dynastic portraits, depictions of costumes, views of historical places, religious monuments, artistic objects and maps. The production of such a specialized and richly illustrated work testifies to the nineteenth-century interest in the history and identity of Caucasian peoples. There is no numerically limited printing confirmed here, but the specificity of the topic and publication contributes to its interest in the international antique market.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Jules Mourier, La Mingrélie (Ancienne Colchide), Odessa, Librairie Rousseau, Imprimerie Slave, 1883, 435 pp. Russian State Library, bibliographic catalog of the original edition, entry 004495777. Jules Mourier, L’Art religieux au Caucase, Paris, Ernest Leroux, 1887. Frédéric Dubois de Montpéreux, Voyage autour du Caucase, chez les Tcherkesses et les Abkhazes, en Colchide, en Géorgie, en Arménie et en Crimée, Paris, 1839–1843. Bibliographic repertories of nineteenth-century Caucasus and Georgian travel descriptions. International antique catalogs relating to Odessa French-language publications of the nineteenth century.