Filipp Andreevich Maliavin

The card is sound. The surface is covered with a layer of varnish. There is craquelure visible around the edges of the work, and a horizontal impression across the top edge and right side of the canvas. Under UV no pigment appears to fluoresce but varnish prevents a conclusive analysis. Held in a wood 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."

Alexandra Mikhailovna Balashova (1887-1971) was a leading ballerina at the Bolshoi from 1905 onwards. 'A proud beauty of the Imperial Moscow ballet troupe, she had a fiery temperament and dedicated herself entirely to her art' according to A.N.Naumov. After a difficult four years after the Revolution, she and her husband, Alexei Ushkov, escaped Moscow for Paris where she danced at the Grand opera. They couple took up residence in Isadora Duncan's previous lodgings on the Rue de la Pompe - fittingly, since Duncan had been allocated Balashova's previous house on Prechistenka. The present lot is thought to have been painted in Nice, the year before Maliavin executed his large-scale oil Portrait of Alexandra Balashova, 1924 (Museum of Russian Art, Khanty-Mansyisk).