Lot 529
  • 529

matvei chizhov (1838-1916), frolicsome girl, 1878

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description

  • height 61 in. 155 cm. excluding wood plinth
a young peasant girl gingerly crosses a pond on a tree limb while trying to avoid a bull frog in the water beneath her feet, inscribed with signature and with mark of the St. Petersburg foundry of Félix Chopin

Literature

L.P. Shaposhnikova, Skulptura XVIII-nachalo XX veka, Leningrad, 1988, p. 159, no. 1389
Gosudarstvennaia Tretiakovskaia galereia, katalog sobraniia: Skulptura XVIII-XIX vekov, Moscow, 2000, no. 394, p. 271.
Plenniki krasoty: Russkoe akademicheskoe i salonnoe iskustvo, 1830-1910, Moscow, 2004, p. 273.

Condition

attractive patina. frog is detached.
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.

Catalogue Note

This composition was among the best-loved of this popular sculptor's compositions. Originally cast at the Chopin foundry in 1873, in 1875 it was cited when the Russian Academy of Arts awarded Chizhov a gold medal for liveliness of sculptural expression.  The Frolicsome Girlexhibited in the Russian Section at the 1878 Paris exposition universelle, was awarded a gold medal by the international jury.  In honor of Chizhov's international accomplishment, Chopin cast a number of new full-sized editions.  These are now included in the collections of such prominent Russian museums as the State Russian Museum and the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.