Niko Pirosmani (Georgian)

The White Dukhan
Collection of Tamar Tsitsishvili, acquired in 1949
Thence by descent
Sotheby's London, Important Russian Art, 28 November 2011, lot 24

Drosha (The Flag) magazine, 1977, no.3, illustrated
E.Kuznetsov, Niko Pirosmani: 1862-1918, Leningrad: Aurora, 1983, p.278, no.14 listed with correct provenance and incorrect dimensions; p.279 illustrated in b/w (erroneously numbered 10)

Structural Condition The artist's board which is irregular in shape has been laid onto a plywood board. This is providing a stable and secure structural support. The plywood board is slightly bowed. The black painted perimeters of the plywood support are partly exposed when the painting is housed in its frame. Paint Surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer. There are small scattered areas of slightly raised lines of craquelure and historic crease lines, most notably at the extreme edges of the composition. These appear entirely stable. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows intermittent spots and lines of retouching on the extreme edges of the composition, a few small retouchings above the centre of the lower edge, a few very small spots and lines of retouching on top of the deer's front right leg, and a few further tiny spots and lines on its back. Summary The painting is therefore in good and stable condition.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Before this painting was sold in these rooms in 2011 it had been in the same family since 1949 when it was acquired by the Georgian actress Tamar Tsitsishvili. Famed for her beauty, she married into a family who have been pre-eminent in Georgian cultural life for over a century. This painting hung on the same wall for over 50 years in the house that Tsitsishvili’s father-in-law built in Tbilisi in the late 19^th century and in which his descendants still live (fig.1).

The unusual story of the painting's rediscovery was published in the magazine Drosha in 1977 accompanied by a full-page illustration of the work in its pre-restoration condition. In the article Tsitsishvili recalls how on the way to Gldani in the summer of 1949, they stopped off in a local house. Inside, her eyes were drawn to a painting which was nailed to the wall which she immediately recognised as a work by Pirosmani. The owner had previously rescued the painting from the famous tavern The White Dukhan. Pirosmani spent much of his life drifting from one dukhan, to the next, earning his lodging by carrying out handy-work for the innkeepers, painting shop signs or decorating the walls of their premises and this particular tavern is the subject of one of his best known paintings which now hangs in the Art Museum of Georgia.

Roe Deer Drinking from a Stream was later published in Kuznetsov’s monograph where it appears in the listing as number 14. The illustrations for numbers 14 and 10 have been confused and the present work appears as illustration 10 (fig.2). Therefore the work which appears as illustration 14 corresponds to the listing for number 10. The latter is stated as originally being in the collection of Kirill Zdanevich, now in the collection of the Art Museum of Georgia. The museum has confirmed that this is indeed the case.