Lot 48
  • 48

Paolo Sala

Estimate
120,000 - 150,000 GBP
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Description

  • Paolo Sala
  • The Anichkov Bridge on Nevsky Prospekt at Dusk
  • signed in Latin l.l.
  • oil on canvas
  • 123 by 174cm, 48 1/4 by 68 1/2 in.

Provenance

Sotheby's London, Icons, Russian Pictures and Works of Art, 15 December 1994, Lot 19
Sotheby's London, The Russian Sale, 29 April 1999, Lot 139

Condition

Original canvas. There is a minor area of paint loss in the top left. There are faint stretcher marks, frame abrasion to the edges, and a layer of light surface dirt. UV light reveals a horizontal section of retouching approximately 25cm long in the sky, some infilling to craquelure in the sky, a small area of retouching to the sleigh, a line of vertical retouching in the middle of the lower edge and some minor spots of retouching elsewhere. Held in an ornate moulded gold plaster 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."

Catalogue Note

Though born and trained in Italy, Paolo Sala was an internationally influential artist whose diverse oeuvre was shaped by his travels throughout Europe and South America. He was particularly admired in his native Milan where he was awarded the Mylius Prize in 1880, and in the 1890s he travelled to Russia where he was commissioned to paint the salon of the newly rebuilt St. Petersburg Conservatory.

The offered lot is from a rare series of cityscapes from Sala's Russian period that typify the aesthetic and cultural character of life in the former Imperial capital. The composition is framed by the bronze horses of the Anchikov Bridge, the city's first bridge built across the Fontanka river, and behind them, the lavish Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace. Balancing the composition at lower right is a thoroughfare of horse-drawn sleighs approaching Nevsky Prospekt, while at centre right a white horse trots towards the viewer, engaging him as an active participant in the scene. Perhaps most impressive is Sala's painterly technique, which bridges the gap between mid-century Salon style and turn-of-the-century Impressionism; his brushstroke is ideally suited for rendering the blustery atmosphere of the wintry scene, while his keen application of colour serves to dramatise the late afternoon twilight.