- 350
A Tapestry Portrait of Empress Catherine II after a Portrait by Rokotov, France or Russia, circa 1770-1780
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description
- Silk, wool
- Tapestry visible: 30 1/2 x 24 in.
- 78 x 61 cm
depicting the Empress at bust length, her powdered hair dressed with a jeweled ribbon and laurel leaf diadem, wearing a lace trimmed dress and an ermine trimmed yellow cloak with black double-headed Imperial eagles, the Collar and Star of the Order of St. Andrew and the Sash of the Order of St. George, on a taupe colored ground; now mounted with an oval surround and in a later glazed frame
Provenance
Sotheby's, London, June 11, 2003, lot 79.
Sotheby's, London, July 1, 1977, lot 4.
Sotheby's, London, July 1, 1977, lot 4.
Condition
some losses, repairs, and fading
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Although when last sold this tapestry portrait was attributed to the Gobelins Manufactory, it is equally possible that the offered lot was manufactured at the Imperial Tapestry Manufactory in St. Petersburg. From 1782-1783, the manufactory produced a number of tapestry portraits based on Rokotov's 1779 portrait of the Empress. Two Russian examples (and a French version) are held by the State Hermitage Museum and a third, Russian example by the State Russian Museum. See T.T. Korshunova, Russkie shpalery: Peterburgskaia shpalernaia manufaktura, Leningrad, 1975, no. 102, pp. 25, 257. For comparison of an example of a similar, larger tapestry portrait after Rokotov woven at Gobelins in the collection of Hillwood Museum, see A Taste for Splendor, Washington, D.C., 1998, pp. 198-199.