Alexander Vladimirovich Makovsky

Acquired by the grandfather of the previous owner in the 1920s

Original canvas, which is slightly loose on the strecher. The vanish has slightly discoloured.There are lines of craquelure throughout, with some very minor associated paint loss in some places. There are a few surface scratches to the right of the church. UV light reveals a few scattered retouching to the sky and left, right and top edges including the upper corners and an uneven layer of discoloured vanish. Held in a simple wooden 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."

The 1910s saw some of Alexander Makovsky's most accomplished genre painting. 'This artist has improved in leaps and bounds, not by the day but by the hour' wrote Nikolai Breshko-Breshkovsky. 'He has experienced a sort of renaissance (...) and plunged headlong into the beautiful world of ancient Russia' (cited in Zabytie imena: russkaya zhivopis' XIX veka, 2004, p.408).

With its picturesque views and golden-domes, the 'Golden Ring' city of Plyos became a destination for some of Russia's greatest landscape painters, among them Isaak Levitan who depicted the town in over 40 of his compositions. Alexander Makovsky visited Plyos frequently from 1917 to 1921, though in terms of scale and complexity the offered lot can be considered one of his finest paintings of the city. Shortly after its execution, the work entered the collection of a Danish businessman and remained in his family until recently.

Market-Day in Plyos reflects his fascination with colourful provincial life and a talent for story-telling inherited from his father, Vladimir Makovsky, whose Rag Market in Moscow (1883) almost certainly informed Alexander's own interpretation of this market day subject. The influence of Kustodiev's colourful and characterful country scenes is also felt in the homely portraits and gentle humour, hinted at here by the name of the shoe-shop owner, Skorokhodov.  In the background is the Church of the Resurrection, built in 1817 to commemorate victory over the French during the Napoleonic campaigns.