EUGEN VON BLAAS | The Mandolinist

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alexander Long, Kansas City, Missouri (by 1913, and probably sold, his estate sale, Kansas City, Missouri, October 8-10, 1934)
Nathan and Fannye Milgram, Kansas City (probably acquired at the above sale)
Thence by descent

Original unlined condition. The work presents well and the surface appears bright. A web of fine craquelure is visible on the blue shirt of the man at left. Frame abrasion is partially visible at the extreme edges (though it is mostly obscured by current framing). Under UV: there are small, scattered areas of brushy fluorescence around the figures, which appear to be part of the artist's working method as opposed to retouching. Finely applied inpainting to address prior craquelure is visible on the red sash of the man at left. There are a few retouches to the right woman's proper left jaw and a few pin dot retouches to her nose. Very minor retouches visible on the balustrade and in the background.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The first recorded owner of The Mandolinist was Robert A. Long, a Kansas City lumber magnate, civic pioneer and philanthropist. In 1907, the Long family began building a seventy-room Beaux-Arts mansion called Corinthian Hall. The residence was designed by Baumgarten & Co., the New York-based firm responsible for William H. Vanderbilt’s Fifth Avenue home (see lot 433) as well as several rooms in New York’s Plaza Hotel, including the Edwardian Room. The Long family traveled throughout Europe in the early 1900s; Von Blaas’ Venetian view may have been an acquisition among other treasures for their new home, to which they finally moved in late 1910 (fig. 1).