Panorama de la Perspective Nevski/Panorama Nevskogo prospekta, after drawings by Vasilii Sadovnikov, H. Prévost, St. Petersburg, 1830-1835

a complete set of 30 hand-colored lithographs on 15 sheets as published, by I. Ivanov and P.S. Ivanov after Sadovnikov

in overall good condition, with some foxing and discoloration; the sheet edges with some small tears and losses
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.

Few artists were better prepared than Vasilii Semenovich Sadovnikov (1800-1879) to complete as grandiose a project as his Panorama de la perspective Nevski/Panorama Nevskogo prospekta, a 360-degree view of St. Petersburg's main thoroughfare, the very heart of the city and home to some of its most important architectural monuments. Born a serf, Sadovnikov trained with Andrei Voronikhin (1787-1855), the architect of the Kazan Cathedral, one of the street's most striking monuments and author of one of the most distinctive architectural ensembles on the thoroughfare. Sadovnikov's further training with Aleksei Venetsianov (1780-1847), an innovative painter of genre scenes and daily life, prepared him to observe the record the street as it pulsed with life, not just as a series of magnificent, yet cold, monuments. The panorama was issued in two installments of lithographs finished by I. Ivanov and P. Ivanov after Sadovnikov's watercolors. The first, released in 1830, comprised 14 sheets depicting the southwestern, sunny side of the street. Only in 1835 was the second set of 16 sheets depicting the northeastern, shady side of the street released. As the images indicate, Sadovnikov carefully observed daily life on the grand avenue, so that we can see the noblemen – possibly including Alexander Pushkin – officers, merchants, street traders, and strolling couples who mingled on the capital's most central artery. The lithographs attracted great attention even before the series was completed. In 1830 the St. Petersburg newspaper the Literary Gazette announced that "Mr. Prévost [...] is publishing a series of lithographed pictures, showing churches and other large buildings and architectural monuments situated on Nevsky Prospekt, between the Anichkov Palace and the Admiralty. The pictures, which are fixed together, present a scroll or paper ribbon of about ten arshins in length and six vershoks in width [about 23 feet x 10 ½ in.], for one side of Nevsky Prospekt, and as much again for the other side..."  ("Panorama Nevskogo Prospekta," Literaturnaia gazeta, March 12, 1830, p. 122.)  As the article went on to note, "several editions would be [hand]colored." Very few such works have survived in a complete state and the majority of those are in museum collections, making the appearance of the offered lot on the market a very rare occurrence.