Fine example of Vasilii Piadyshev's map of the Novgorod Governate, which appeared in his Geograficheskii atlas Rossiiskoi imperii, tsarstva Pol'skogo i velikogo kniazhestva Finliandskogo (Geographic Atlas of the Russian Empire, Kingdom of Poland, and the Grand Duchy of Finland).
The map offers a detailed treatment of the Novgorod Governorate (Новгородская Губерния), an administrative division of the Russian Empire. The map is titled in both Russian (Генеральная Карта Новгородской Губернии) and French (Carte Générale du Gouvernement de Novgorod)
The map prominently features major towns within the governorate, with Veliky Novgorod (Novgorod), the administrative center, marked as a "Ville de Gouvernement" (Governance City). Several district towns are identified, reflecting their importance within the regional administrative framework.
Rivers and lakes are key elements of the map, highlighting their significance for transportation and trade in the region. The Volkhov River, one of the most notable waterways, connects Lake Ilmen to Lake Ladoga, emphasizing its historical role as a major trade route in medieval Russia. Lake Ilmen is also prominently depicted near Novgorod.
Administrative and geographic boundaries are carefully delineated, with hand-coloring used to distinguish the governorate and its districts. The map also identifies neighboring governorates, including Olonez to the north, Vologda to the northeast, Yaroslavl to the east, Tver to the south, and Pskov to the west. This detail provides a comprehensive view of the region’s political geography within the Russian Empire.
A bilingual legend in Russian and French explains the symbols used on the map, indicating features such as towns, villages, monasteries, postal stations, and roads. Key routes, including major postal roads (Grand Chemin de Poste), are clearly marked, alongside administrative boundaries. This makes the map an invaluable resource for travelers, officials, and traders of the time.
Rarity
The map is very rare. This is the first we have offered the map for sale.
Piadyshev was the cartographer at the Military-Topographical Depot of His Imperial Majesty's General Staff, during the production of the first systematic survey or Russia, with maps published between 1820 and 1827.
Piadyshev's Geograficheskii atlas Rossiiskoi imperii, tsarstva Pol'skogo i velikogo kniazhestva Finliandskogo (Geographical Atlas of the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Poland, and the Grand Duchy of Finland . . . ) was the first atlas of its kind - both comprehensive and accurate - depicting an empire that stretched from the Vistula River to the Pacific Ocean. It is credited to Col. Vasilii Petrovich Piadyshev (1768-1835), who served with distinction in the Military-Topographical Depot of His Majesty's General Staff. The sheets were published between 1820 and 1827; the work underwent revision in 1828-1829 and was reprinted in 1834. The atlas is composed of 60 maps, including a general map of the empire.
Curiously, the atlas is not constructed on a consistent scale and does not use the same projection on all maps. Each sheet describes administrative boundaries, rivers, roads, urban and rural settlements, and a variety of other details. Distances are in versts (1 verst = 1.07 kilometer). On each sheet, placenames are rendered in Russian and in French transliteration.
The atlas reflects the detailed mapping carried out by Russian military cartographers in the first quarter of the 19th century. The map shows population centers (five gradations by size), fortresses, redoubts, roads (four types), provincial and district borders, plants, and factories. Distances are shown in versts, a Russian measure, now no longer used, equal to 1.07 kilometers. Legends and place-names are in Russian and French.
The atlas underwent revision in 1828-1829, and was reprinted in 1834.