Stanislav Yulianovich Zhukovsky

This painting is in healthy condition. The canvas seems to be stretched on its original stretcher. The paint layer may be slightly dirty but care will need to be taken when cleaning it. The signature in the lower right is undamaged and there is one restoration at the base of the front chair leg where a small dent had been made. There is one other small puncture in the wall to the right of the hanging plates. The remainder of the painting is in very healthy state. This painting should be carefully cleaned and varnished in order to make the most of the subtle palette. The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
"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."

Stanislav Zhukovsky was born in the city of Grodno in 1875 and enrolled at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1892. His virtuosity, particularly for representing interiors and landscapes, was widely recognized by his contemporaries and he went on to exhibit with the Itinerants, becoming an official member of the group in 1903. In keeping with their artistic aims, Zhukovsky sought to champion the beauty of everyday life and the Russian countryside in his oeuvre.

Interior with Samovar epitomizes the artist's celebration of the commonplace. His attention to detail—for example the delicate designs of the porcelain plates hanging on the wall, or the overcoat and hat casually placed on the empty chair—lends a charming sense of intimacy to the scene. Meanwhile he incorporates elements of landscape painting in his depiction of the warm summer day outside, rendering the sunlight shining through the foliage with bold, dazzling brushstrokes that infuse the scene with an airy and welcoming atmosphere.

The offered lot was painted in 1914 while Zhukovsky was teaching at his own studio in Moscow. An exhibition label on the stretcher suggests its inclusion in the Biennale Internazionale d'Arte exhibition in Venice in 1923.