Alexander Evgenievich Yakovlev

signed and inscribed in Latin and dated 1918 l.r.

A gift from the artist to his biographer and friend Martin Birnbaum
Acquired by Boris Bakhmeteff before 1939

Possibly Detroit, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Exhibition of the Works of Alexandre Evguenievitch Iacovleff, 1922, no.27
New York, Memorial Exhibition of the Work of Alexandre Iacovleff (1887-1938), 11 - 29 April 1939, no.152 

Possibly exhibition catalogue Exhibition of the Works of Alexandre Evguenievitch Iacovleff, Detroit, 1922, no.27 listed as Lama Miao, Mongolia
Exhibition catalogue Memorial Exhibition of the Work of Alexandre Iacovleff (1887-1938), New York, 1939, no.152 Mongolian Lamas (loaned by Mr and Mrs Boris Bakhmeteff)

The artist has used a very thin paper, which is undulating. There are creases throughout and the paper has discoloured. The lower right corner is missing, and there are losses to the other corners as well as in various places along the edges. There is a horizontal tear approximately 18cm in length to the centre of the left edge, as well as another tear approximately 4cm in length to the upper left edge. There is a further tear approximately 5cm in length to the bottom edge across the inscription, as well as several tears to the top and right edges. Some of these losses and tears have been repaired with strips of paper attached to the reverse along the top and right edges as seen from the front. There are pinholes to the corners and to the centre of the top and bottom edges, as well as some damp-staining to the lower left edge. Held in a simple wooden frame behind glass. Unexamined out of frame.
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The present depiction of a group of Mongolian lamas at prayer was taken in one of the temples of the trade city of Lama-Miao (‘Monastery of the Lamas’), otherwise known as Dolon-Nor (‘Seven Lakes’). By 1918 Yakovlev was midway through his two-year trip across Far East in a journey which took in China, Mongolia and Japan. This was Yakovlev’s second academic expedition to be sponsored by the Petrograd Imperial Academy of Arts after his earlier two year European tour (1914-1915). 

The artist set out from Pekin for Mongolia in the summer of 1918. He would spend two months exploring and drawing in the sandy plains of Dolon-Nor, accompanied by an ex-Russian Cossack who acted as guide and translator. His depiction of the shaven-headed lamas, young and old, is accurate and convincing. We see them here with their outer garments covering their yellow robes as was the custom during prayers. 

We would like to thank Dr Elena Yakovleva, art historian, for providing this catalogue note.