- 275
Boris Chaliapin
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Boris Chaliapin
- Portrait of Olga Spesivtseva
- signed in Latin and dated Paris 1932 l.l.
- oil on canvas
- 100 by 73cm, 39 ¼ by 28 ¾ in.
Provenance
The family of the artist
Condition
Original canvas. The picture is clean and ready to hang. There are some very light horizontal lines of craquelure. UV light reveals some small spots of retouching and infilling to and around the sitter's face and a number of other small spots retouchings in places elsewhere. Framed.
"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."
"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
Considered one of the greatest classical dancers of all time, Olga Spessivtseva (1895-1991) became a soloist with the Mariinsky ballet in 1916 and partnered Nijinsky during Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets russes tour of America. Three years later she made her debut as Giselle, a role that became synonymous with her name. An exquisite dancer with peerless technique, Diaghilev once described her as ‘a creature much more delicate and pure than [Anna] Pavlova.’ Spessivtseva was prima ballerina at the Paris Opera Ballet from 1924 to 1932, at which time Boris Chaliapin was working in the French capital as a portraitist and theatre designer. Chaliapin had a close relationship with the theatre, not only through his father, Feodor Chaliapin, but both his mother and first wife were ballerinas. His many portraits of Russian singers, actors, dancers and musicians in Paris in the 1930s attest to the strong connection he felt with the stage.