Nikanor Grigorievich Chernetsov

The canvas has been lined. There are lines of craquelure throughut and a few flecks of paint loss along the lower edge. UV light reveals an uneven layer of varnish, a patch of retouching to the sky and the sea and minor spots of retouching throughout. Unframed.
"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."

Nikanor and his elder brother Grigori Chernetsov are among Russia's earliest landscape painters, depicting views of the Russian provinces under the reign of Nicholas I long before the Itinerants turned their attention from Italy to the beauty of their native land. Many of these regions of the empire had never been painted before and their exotic locations, with cliffs, caves and picturesque coves captured the public's imagination.  Alexander Pushkin owned a painting by Nikanor Chernetsov of the Daryal Pass in the Caucasus which hung in his study.

In 1823 Nikanor Chernetsov won a scholarship to study at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg as a landscape painter under Professor Maxim Nikiforovich Vorobiev (1787-1855).  From 1833-36 he worked in the services of a Russian Governor General M.S. Vorontsov in the Crimea.  During this period his travels took him the full length of the Black Sea coast, to Tbilisi and as far as the border with Turkey. In 1838 he travelled along the Volga with his brother and created a panorama of both banks.

Restrained in composition and palette, this view perfectly captures the serenity of the Volga region and can be compared to similar landscapes of his from this decade, held in Russian National Collections (fig. 1).