- 43
Nikolai Petrovich Bogdanov-Belsky
Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 GBP
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Description
- Nikolai Petrovich Bogdanov-Belsky
- The Schoolgirl
- signed in in Cyrillic l.l.
- oil on canvas
- 158 by 119cm, 62 1/2 by 46 3/4 in.
Provenance
Sotheby's London, The Russian Sale, 17 June 1993, lot 370
Sotheby's London, The Russian Sale, 1 December 2005, lot 92
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Sotheby's London, The Russian Sale, 1 December 2005, lot 92
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Exhibited
Petrograd, Moscow, XLVI Itinerant Exhibition, 1917-1918
Literature
Katalog XLVI peredvizhnoi vystavki kartin Tovarishchestva peredvizhnykh khudozhestvennykh vystavok, Petrograd, 1917, no.11 listed
G.Romanov (ed.), The Society of Itinerant Art Exhibitions, 1871-1923, An Encyclopaedia, St Petersburg: Sankt-Peterburg Orkestr, 2003, p.449, no.10-31 listed and illustrated b/w
G.Romanov (ed.), The Society of Itinerant Art Exhibitions, 1871-1923, An Encyclopaedia, St Petersburg: Sankt-Peterburg Orkestr, 2003, p.449, no.10-31 listed and illustrated b/w
Condition
The canvas has been lined. There is some light craquelure to the impasto, which has otherwise preserved well. UV light reveals a few areas of scattered retouching, mostly to the background in the upper half, including a line above the sitter's head and a small area below her chin; there is also some scattered retouching in the area below the table. Held in a carved wooden 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The Schoolgirl was among the works Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky showed at the 46th Itinerant Exhibition in 1917-1918, which would be the last Itinerant Exhibition the artist participated in. Against all odds the show was a great success: 'We assumed that during the revolutionary events people would be indifferent to art and that we would struggle to sell anything. Fortunately, we were wrong… our exhibition was well-attended and many of the works sold. […] Connoisseurs flocked to the venue, so much so that the exhibition administrator could hardly keep up with the purchases, and all this despite the high prices.' (quoted in V.Vegenov, 'N.P. Bogdanov-Belsky u «peredvizhnikov»', Russkii vestnik, no.13 (79), 1943, p.4). Bogdanov-Belsky painted the present work at the local school in Ostrovno in Tver Province, where he had settled in 1914, only visiting Petrograd in winter to work on portrait commissions. 'I found the spontaneity and aptitude of peasant children so compelling that they became the natural subjects of my paintings', the artist remarked (quoted in N.Lapidus, Bogdanov-Belsky, Moscow, 2005, p.16).