Ivan Pavlovich Pokhitonov

For many years the present lot was in the collection of the Kreglingers, a family of industrialists who made their money trading wool and sheepskin under the name G. & C. Kreglinger. The company was founded in 1797 and remains trading to this day. In 1910 Albert Kreglinger bought the neoclassical Castle Den Brandt in Antwerp and went about filling the house and gardens with paintings and sculptures, including this work by Pokhitonov which he most likely acquired directly from the artist’s one-man show in 1909 at the Salle Forst. In 1911 the civic-minded family opened the park around the house to the public and in 1962 when the last heir died, the house and gardens were left to the city of Antwerp. The contents of the house were sold off at an estate sale, including the present lot.

Pokhitonov was celebrated for his depictions of snow and in this lovely early evening view of Paris, with the cathedral of Notre Dame visible in the distance, the rosy glow of the setting sun is reflected in the snow-covered embankment. The surprising highlights picked out in tones of violet and ochre and the rose in the cheeks of the moustachioed figure strolling home, shovel over his shoulder, imbue the scene with warmth and tenderness.