Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin

Acquired by the present owner in the 1950s

The canvas has been lined. The canvas is undulated. There is a small area of paint loss on the upper edge. There is a layer of surface dirt and the varnish has slightly discoloured. UV light reveals some minor retouching in places and a layer of discoloured varnish. The initials in the lower right corner fluouresce under UV. Held in a gold painted 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."

In the late 1880s Shishkin spent much time painting in the impenetrable Shmetsk forest, near Narva. By October, when the weather became unbearably cold and damp, the artist would move to Krestovsky Island to paint studies of the Neva, often visited the overgrown gardens of the Laval Palace. A comparable sketch of the Laval gardens, also dated autumn 1892, hangs in the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (fig.1)

The Laval Palace on St. Petersburg's Angliiskaya naberezhnaya was built according to the designs of Andrei Voronikhin and Thomas de Thomon between 1805 and 1810 on the grounds of the former estate of Alexander Menshikov. The house became a centre for the city's cultural life in the early 19th century through Countess Laval's literary soirées, which were frequented by such illustrious figures as Pushkin, Lermontov and Griboedov.