Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky

Acquired by the grandfather of the present owner in Russia in the early 1920s

Original canvas. There is a layer of light surface dirt. There is paint loss to the edges of the canvas, including a small area of loss in the top left hand corner. There are lines of craquelure throughout and the varnish is slightly discoloured. There is a small patch to the reverse, centre left. UV light reveals a small area of retouching corresponding to the aforementioned patch. There is some very minor retouching to the edges. Held in a gold plaster frame. Unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This early and rare Neopolitan view reveals that Aivazovsky was developing a number of elements that characterise his calm coastal views much earlier than had previously been thought: the same ghostly sails and hazy sun low on the horizon reappear in an 1848 variation of this subject, A Calm Morning off the Coast (fig.1, Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga) and in his Crimean views of the early 1850s. The romantic motif of the covered fishing boat with a red pennant clearly drew him, as it recurs in several works from this important early period including his superb Lake Maggiore, also painted in 1843. A friend of Aivazovsky claimed that his success lay in the fact that he a discovered that the whole of nature could be reduced to a handful of colours (Kolli, quoted in Seas, Cities and Dreams, p.207). The few known early works dating from 1843 and 1844 are so interesting partly because we witness his refinement of this pre-ordained colour range, but at the same time see a certain sharpness and definition which is frequently softened in his later dawn seascapes. It was not unusual for Aivazovsky to sign his canvases twice; the orthography of the second signature with a ‘w’ and ‘ï’ indicate that it is likely to have been included in an exhibition in Germany, possibly his 1846 Berlin exhibition.