Alexei Petrovich Bogoliubov

The collection of King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark
Inherited by their daughter, HM Queen Alexandra of Great Britain
A gift from HM Queen Mary to Nora, Lady Wigram, in the 1930s
Thence by descent

The report of the Imperial Academy of Arts, 1867-68, p.35
The will of King Christian IX of Denmark, 1906

Structural Condition The canvas appears to be unlined on the original keyed wooden stretcher and this is providing a secure and stable structural support. Paint surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer and inspection under ultra-violet light reveals shows just the most minimal spots of inpainting, including two spots in the sky to the right of the dome of Santa Maria della Salute and small retouchings in the lower right corner. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in excellent and stable condition and no further work is required. The above report has been provided by Hamish Dewar of 14 Mason's Yard, London SW1Y 6BU Tel. 020 7930 4004 email hamish@hamishdewar.co.uk
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

A graduate of both the Sea Cadet Corps and the Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg, Alexei Bogoliubov always referred to himself as a 'sailor-artist', and as a young officer he proved a talented draughtsman, continually sketching on board during Russian naval exercises. In June 1867 he travelled abroad in the company of Tsesarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, the future Russian Emperor Alexander III, who became a great friend. Their itinerary took in Copenhagen, the birthplace of Alexander's wife, Maria Feodorovna, formerly Princess Dagmar of Denmark. According to a contemporary report, while Bogoliubov was in Denmark he put together 'an album of plein-air works for the Tsesarevich and painted On The Eve Of The Celebration, Santa Maria Della Salute, Venice, a view of the Grand Canal at dusk with a procession of gondolas heading towards the church' (Report of the Imperial Academy of Arts, 1867-68, p.35). The same report alleged that 'the painting belongs to the Danish Queen and is in her majesty's palace at Amalienborg'. The painting described in this report is certainly the offered work. It is later mentioned in the will of King Christian IX as Evening Festival in Venice by A.Bogututoff. It seems highly probable that the painting was inherited by their eldest daughter, Alexandra of Denmark - Dagmar's elder sister - who was consort to the British monarch, Edward VII. This supposition is further supported by the fact that the painting is not mentioned in the will of King Christian IX's son, King Frederik VIII of Denmark. The painting would therefore have been inherited by King Edward and Queen Alexandra's son, King George V of Great Britain, whose wife, Queen Mary, presented it to the wife of the King's private secretary, Baron Wigram, the grandfather of the present owner.

Santa Maria Della Salute is Venice's largest domed church and has provided inspiration for artists ever since it was built in the seventeenth century to commemorate the end of a devastating outbreak of plague. Every year a mass is celebrated in the basilica to give thanks to Our Lady for saving the city on 21 November, the Festa Della Salute. The procession which begins this festival starts at Piazza San Marco and eventually crosses a bridge specially constructed from gondolas to end up at the basilica.

Bogoliubov had often visited the city on leave from the Imperial Academy from 1854 onwards, which explains the many convincing intricate details of his Venetian views and those of the festival, which he had witnessed first-hand. In Notes of a Sailor and Artist, Bogoliubov remarks, 'I watched a festival unfolding on the lagoons and canals, which commemorates a terrible plague that took place some time ago and carried the mighty Titian to his grave. Of course, it isn't the same as it once would've been, but nonetheless it is an extraordinary sight, particularly at twilight when the entire church is lit up by lanterns that stretch the length of the Grand Canal and its nearby buildings. The layers of soot blend with the evening mist and setting sun, oars splash, boats jostle, it's chaos - but what a grandiose spectacle! Naturally, after two more visits to Venice, I didn't just paint one painting of this subject, but ten! Each with minor variations' (A. Bogoliubov in Notes of a Sailor-Artist, quoted in Volga, edition 2-3, 1996, p.49).

Paintings on this theme are held in several Russian and Ukrainian museum collections, each differing slightly in size and detail: The Museum of Art in Tula has one version of 105 by 150cm, another is held at The Nikolaevsky Museum of Art and a third, smaller composition belongs to the Museum of Nizhny Novgorod. The present lot is the only dated version however, and can be considered the artist's most successful.

This twilight panorama conjures an image of a city that is at once mysterious and romantic. The minutely recorded details from the rippling oars to distant flags are a triumph of observation, but it is Bogoliubov's treatment of light that elevates this work to the level of a masterpiece. There are four distinct sources of illumination – the setting sun, the coloured lanterns that glitter along the Baroque lines of the church and on the ships, his characteristic eerie green lamplight, and beyond a powerful hidden source that casts shadows on the facades of the buildings in the foreground. These are handled with immense delicacy, such that the dusk sun is reflected in only one cupola on the far left against the fading sky; the decorations on the church are ornate, but restrained, while the complex interplay of light reflected in the water and between the figures in the foreground is highly imaginative.  It is a spectacular work in every sense of the word, a festival of colour and pageantry which confirms Bogoliubov's reputation as an artist worthy of royal patronage.  

We are grateful to Dr Elena Nesterova for providing additional cataloguing information.