- 141
Alexei Alexeevich Harlamoff
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Alexei Alexeevich Harlamoff
- Portrait of Felia Litvinne
- signed in Latin l.r.
- oil on canvas
- 55.5 by 46cm, 21 3/4 by 18in.
Provenance
Acquired by the parents of the present owner in the 1930s
Thence by descent
Literature
O.Sugrobova-Roth, E.Lingenauber, Alexei Harlamoff catalogue raisonné, Dusseldorf: A.Harlamoff, 2007, p.244, no.228, pl.214 illustrated
Condition
Original canvas. The picture is clean and ready to hang. UV light reveals some sensitively executed retouching to the edges of the work, with larger patches of retouching to the top edge. There is a small area of retouching to the left of the sitters head and a few very minor spots if infilling in places elsewhere. Held in a gold painted plaster frame with some losses to the mouldings at the corners. 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 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
A renowned soprano singer, Felia Litvinne (1860-1936) sat for a number of portraits by Harlamoff. 'He was like a father to me,' she wrote in her autobiography, and on the painter's death she was his sole heir. Litvinne starred Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as the Paris Grand Opéra, The Metropolitan Opera in New York and London's Covent Garden. She was particulary famed for her performances in Wagner's operas, including a Russian production of the Ring cycle. She retired from the stage in 1916 and taught singing in Paris. Other portraits of Litvinne by Harlamoff hang in The Musée de l'Opera de la ville de Paris.