Russian School

the first inscribed, indistinctly signed, and dated Salon à Tiflis Adéla Rasou 1835 lower right; the second inscribed, indistinctly signed and dated Cabinet à Tiflis Adéla Rasou 1835 lower right

Hobhouse Limited, London, 1986

The first: original, slightly wavy, paper has been laid down to another sheet, possibly only along edges, suggesting it is from an album, colors are bright and fresh. Work is affixed to mat with paper hinges along top edge. The second: original paper has been laid down to another sheet, possibly along edges, colors are bright and fresh. Work si affixed to mat board with paper hinges along top edge.
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.

By the mid nineteenth century Tiflis (present day Tbilisi), the capital of Georgia, had long been a culturally diverse city. Strategically located in The Caucasus between Europe and Asia, Tiflis was variously occupied by Persians, the Byzantine Empire, Arabians, Turks, and Mongols from the sixth and eighteenth centuries. After the Georgian kingdom joined the Russian Empire in the early nineteenth century, European influences were seen in newly constructed civic buildings and residences which attracted cultural, military, and political visitors. The present work likely depicts one of the city's well appointed homes designed for a traveling noble or member of the imperial family. The uniformed attendants standing at the door and holding out a chair of the first work resemble those that accompanied Tsar Nicholas I and members of his family.  In Saint Petersburg these attendants opened doors ahead of the Tsar's arrival at the Winter Palace. They also guarded the entrance to the Palace's private space from which state processions began suggesting the room's name of the "Arabian Hall" or "Blackamoor Hall" (though not all attendants were from North Africa or the Middle East). Members of the Romanov family (including Nicholas' son Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich) lived in Tiflis in the nineteenth century and if it is not their guards shown in the present work (the uniforms are of a different color) perhaps another family has adopted the practice to emulate the Tsarist style. In the second work a man in military dress sits in conversation with a young woman in a well-appointed interior. Though somewhat indistinct each work appears to be signed Adéla Rasou (or perhaps Rasov) but the exact identity of the artist has yet to be discovered.