Property from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Sold to Benefit Future Acquisitions
Russian School, 19th Century
The Wood Gatherer
Auction Closed
November 30, 02:40 PM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Sold to Benefit Future Acquisitions
Russian School, 19th Century
The Wood Gatherer
signed in Cyrillic Sergeev and dated 1879 l.r.
oil on canvas
Canvas: 72.5 by 95cm, 28 by 37½in.
Framed: 68.5 by 109.5cm, 34 by 43in.
Acquired at the above sale by C. Michael Paul
A gift from the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation, Inc., and the Charles Ulrick and Joseph Bay Foundation to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 1968
The present lot was mistakenly sold on 18 December 1968 as a painting by Valentin Serov. The work is signed Sergeev but the identity of the artist remains unclear.
Michael Paul (1901-1980) was born Paul Michael Iogolevitch in Imperial Russia where, after a brief career as a violinist, he joined the Russian army. He changed his name to Capton Michael Paul when he migrated to the U.S. after World War II. After accumulating a large fortune in the petroleum business, he founded the C. Michael Paul Foundation and in 1965, he endowed the C. Michael Paul Hall at the Julliard School.