Russia, Tabl. III. – Russland Taf. III. Drawn and engraved by A. Weger. The engraving was printed in 1840 in Leipzig, Germany. Russland Taf. III. A.Weger. [Leipzig, 1840]. - Russia, Tabl. III. Drawn and engraved by A. Weger. [Leipzig, 1840]. Steel engraving (etching, burin) within a passepartout. Print dimensions: 27.6 x 32 cm. A sheet from a German decorative album published by the artist August Weger at the very beginning of his career in Leipzig. The album was dedicated to the Russian Empire – its cities and landmarks, ethnography, and natural resources. The sheets are distinguished by their high level of execution, richness of illustrative material, and abundance of information about Russia. The sheet presents an engraved collage of sixteen images of varying sizes. In the center is a large view depicting a family of wolves in their den, which may symbolize the wild and still uncultivated expanses of the Russian Empire. Flanking it are eight small illustrations portraying ethnic types of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Empire: 1. Bashkirs (a wife seeing off her husband on a hunt); 2. Ostyaks (hunting on skis in winter); 3. Kyrgyzs (a man and woman in national costumes); 4. Kalmyks (a man and woman in national costumes); 5. Sami (loading goods onto a sled drawn by reindeer); 6. Chukchi (in hunting gear); 7. Yakuts (a man and woman in national costumes); 8. Koryaks (a shaman and two men). At the top and bottom center are depictions of peoples from various regions of the Russian Empire, dressed in national costumes and engaged in traditional activities: 1. A camp of Nogai Tatars in Crimea; 2. Pomors on sleighs with dog sleds moving through the tundra; 3. Winter and summer dwellings of Kamchatdals; 4. Court among the Circassians; 5. Dancing Georgians. At the bottom sides are depicted: 1. Moose; 2. Wolves driving a horse. August Weger (1823-1892) was a German artist and steel engraver. In 1840, he founded the Graphic Institute in Leipzig. He was best known as a portraitist, depicting a whole constellation of great German figures of the mid-to-late 19th century, including philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach, composer Robert Schumann, among others. Sheet size: 32 x 40 cm Print dimensions: 27 x 31.5 cm Excellent condition.