HENRI HYACINTHE DE LABORDE: PORTRAITS DE NICEPHORE BOTANEIATE EMPEREUR D ORIENT, dE L IMPERATRICE MARIE SA FEMME ET DE S.JEAN CHRYSOSTOME. PARIS 1844 First and only edition. IMPERIAL FOLIO, in the original yellow wrappers somehow dusty and with one tear, complete all plates present, light marginal water stain and spotting, overall in very good condition. A landmark study in the history of Byzantine Art History, specifically regarding one of the most famous manuscripts in the world, the Coislin 79,held in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The book was authored by Henri-Hyacinthe de Laborde It is essentially a monograph dedicated to the exquisite imperial miniatures of the Emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates (reigned 1078-1081). The portraits are found in a book of Homilies by St. John Chrysostom. These miniatures are the standard for how a Byzantine Emperor was depicted. They show him in full regalia (loros), crowned by Christ, and standing with his empress, Maria of Alania. This book was one of the first to use high-quality lithography. Laborde was not just showing a picture; he was analyzing the symbolism of the clothing. In the 1840s, scholars were obsessed with the Oriental influence on Byzantine fashion, and this book was a primary source for that debate.. It was printed in very limited numbers for a small circle of aristocrats and art historians in Paris and it is among the very first accurate printed representation of Byzantine Emperors from rare manuscripts.