Nikolai Nikolaevich Sapunov

The collection of Mr R.E.Crottet, St Petersburg
Acquired by the father of the present owners circa 1950

Moscow, V Exhibition of the Union of Russian Artists, 1907-1908
Moscow, Mir Iskusstva, 1912, no.252
St Petersburg, Mir Iskusstva, January 1913, no.331

Exhibition catalogue, Mir Iskusstva, St Petersburg 1913
M.Voloshin, Pamyati N.N.Sapunova, Apollon no.4, 1914, illustrated
N.Sapunov, Petrograd: Apollon 1916, illustrated b/w on the frontispiece 

Structural condition: The artist's board is providing a relatively even and stable structural support. There are three old exhibition labels adhered to the reverse of the board in the upper left corner. There are small, intermittent damages to the framing edges. Paint surface: A fixative appears to have been applied to the paint surface. There are some scattered paint losses and areas of instability, mainly concentrated within the flowers in the upper centre of the composition and to the right of the plant pot in the lower part of the composition. There is also a small damage to the board above the yellow fruit in the lower left corner of the composition, and there are several minor abrasions and scratches to the paint surface, mainly concentrated in the upper part of the composition. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows some scattered retouchings corresponding to the minor paint losses mentioned above. Summary: The painting would therefore appear to be in reasonably good condition and would benefit from the localised consolidation, infilling and retouching of any areas of fragile and lifting paint.
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Twice published by Apollonshortly after Sapunov's death, this important work was exhibited frequently in Moscow in the early 1910s as the World of Art and Union of Russian Artist labels on the reverse testify, and is a very rare example of Sapunov’s prized still-lifes. A later oil version of this composition dating from 1908 is in the collection of The State Tretyakov Gallery (fig.2).

Sapunov’s paintings are driven by colour and a softened line, resulting in a transcendent, ethereal atmosphere. The art critic Abram Effros declared 'If [future generations] wish to understand what once tempted us, then I believe the easiest route would be through the work of Sapunov….He opens the door for the gardens of aestheticism' (as quoted in I.Hoffman, 'The Poems of Nikolai Sapunov', Nashe Naslediye, no. 71, 2004).  Often compared to Pavel Kuznetsov and Leonid Pasternak, his work is nevertheless much rarer in view of his tragically short life. He was integral to the first Blue Rose exhibition in 1907 and a member also of the Union of Russian Artists and the World of Art Group.

Little is known about Mr Crottet himself, but his collection is known to have included works by Sapunov, Sudeikin, Fechin, Burliuk and Krymov.

We are grateful to Pavel Pavlinov and Ekaterina Lanceray for providing additional cataloguing information.