L12115

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Lot 210
  • 210

Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky
  • Two designs for the 1926 production of Platov's Cossacks in Paris
  • both signed with artist's cypher in Cyrillic l.l. and stamped with Akim Tamirov collection stamp on the reverse
  • both watercolour with pen and ink over pencil on paper
  • 42 by 57.8cm, 16 1/2 by 22 3/4 in.; 43 by 58.3cm, 17 by 23in.

Provenance

The Collection of Akim Tamirov, USA

Condition

Design with 4 soldiers and two ladies: The sheet appears sound. There are handling marks and spots of dirt, especially to the lower right quadrant and in places elsewhere. The sheet has slightly discoloured. There are flecks of paint loss to the bearskin hat of the solider on the right and a few spots around his left knee. There are further flecks of paint loss to the hats of the soldiers on the left. Design with 2 soldiers and three ladies: The sheet appears sound. There are a few minor rubbings to the uniform of the Russian soldier on the left, the musician in the middle and to the hand of the lady holding an umbrella on the right. The sheet has discoloured. There are handling marks and a minor spot of dirt to the upper right edge. Held in matching gold painted frames and under glass.
"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

Based on Potemkin's libretto and set to music by Alexander Arkhangelsky Platov's Cossacks in Paris was first performed by Nikita Balieff's Chauve souris company at the Théâtre de la Madeleine in Paris in the autumn of 1926. Dobuzhinsky was called upon to design sets and costumes for this satirical piece based on the exploits of the renowned, one-eared Cossack general Platov and his troops during the occupation of Paris in 1814.

Akim Tamirov, the son of a wealthy Baku oil magnate, studied at the Moscow Arts Theatre under Stanislavsky. He made his name in musical comedy with the Chauve souris theatre company, where he met the designers Nikolai Remizov, Sergei Sudeikin and Dobuzhinsky. Tamirov settled permanently in the United States after a tour in 1922, and began to put together his superb collection of Russian art, building close friendships with Russian émigré artists such as Konstantin Somov and David Burliuk. Over the course of forty years, Tamiroff became one of Hollywood's greatest character actors, working alongside Cecil B. DeMille, Preston Sturges, Orson Welles and Jean-Luc Godard. He received two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in The General Died at Dawn (1936) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943).

Another of Dobuzhinsky's designs from this production, formerly in the Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Collection, now hangs in the Konstantinovsky Palace in St Petersburg.