Alexander Nikolaevich Benois

Peintres Russes en Bretagne, Quimper: Editions Palantines, 2006, illustrated p.53

The sheet appears sound. There is a minor diagonal crease across the lower left corner, a layer of light surface dirt. 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."

Benois and his wife, Anna, first visited Brittany in the summer of 1897 and returned there four more times in 1905, 1906, 1925 and 1939. "We found something there, which we could not find in other, perhaps more polite and charming lands, a certain energy, some sort of boost to our health, not just in the physical sense, but spiritually too... Our first trip to Primel was quite unforgettable – when that unrivalled view of the bay opened out before us from the vantage of the hill, along which the road to Plougasnou. And how many romance-filled walks we had there with the ancient fisherman's lodging as our base, given to us by rather portly Madame Talbot... They say that Brittany is an uncomfortable land, that there is always rain there, always a storm blowing. The climate in Brittany is indeed severe, but nonetheless I have never seen such bright and iridescent days like here in Brittany. (Extracts from a letter by Benois to his wife in August 1950, to be sold with lot 909).

In his memois Benois writes of his love of Brittany, and his 'dreams of fantastic rocks, of old granite churches and of prehistoric menhirs and cromlechs, of everything that evokes ancient Armorica". (A. Benois, Moi vospominaniya v 5 knigakh, Moscow: Nauka, 1980).

For an illustration of a comparable work from 1905 in the collection of the Brodsky Museum in St Petersburg, please see V.Kruglov, Alexander Benois, St Petersburg: Zolotoi vek, 2001, plate 41