Alexander Nikanorovich Novoskoltsev

Sotheby's London, The Russian Sale, 17 July 1996, lot 137

The canvas has been lined, and the canvas is undulated towards the bottom edge. There is infilling to craquelure in places throughout, and along a horizontal line running across the canvas slightly below the centre where it was probably once folded. There are small chips of paint loss in places along the inner frame edge, mostly to the lower edge of the work where there is also a larger area of paintloss left of the centre of the bottom edge. Held in a gold painted 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."

Alexander Novoskoltsev studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture under Vladimir Perov and won numerous gold and silver medals for his masterfully rich historical and genre paintings. He went on to study throughout Europe and later taught at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.  Several of his most important masterpieces hang in the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. Novoskoltsev is known to have painted a composition on a similar theme in 1886, which is listed in Fedor Bulgakov's 1890 biographical dictionary of contemporary artists Nashi khudozhniki on page 74.