ALEXANDER ALEXANDROVICH KISELEV | Georgian Military Highway

Knut Henrik Littorin (1860-1939), Bjertorp Castle
Uppsala Auktionskammare, Important Sale, 1 December 2009, lot 549

Malmö, Exposition Baltique, 1914

Structural Condition The canvas is unlined and is securely attached to the artist's original keyed wooden stretcher. This is providing an even and stable structural support. There is evidence of minor staining in the upper right corner of the canvas as viewed form the reverse. Paint Surface The paint surface has an uneven, discoloured and degraded varnish layer. The paint surface also displays a dirt layer and aqueous drip and splash marks running through the dark paint of the mountains in the upper centre of the composition. There is also evidence of blanching within the mountains in the upper part of the composition. The painting would benefit from cleaning and revarnishing. The paint surface appears entirely stable. Inspection under ultraviolet light confirms the discoloured and degraded varnish layer. Inspection under ultraviolet light shows an area of faint mottled fluorescence within the sky in the upper left corner of the composition which corresponds to a greyish area visible in natural light. Inspection under ultraviolet light shows scattered areas of fluorescence throughout the mountains and a spot within the sky below centre of the upper edge. This would appear to be attributable to the artist's materials and techniques. Inspection under ultraviolet light does not appear to show any evidence of any retouching. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition and would benefit from cleaning, restoration and revarnishing.
"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."

The Georgian Military Highway connects Georgia and Russia and follows the traditional route used by invaders and traders throughout the ages. Acquiring its name from its use in the 18^th and 19^th centuries as the main route of transportation for troops to the region, the highway became synonymous with the Caucasian Wars. It was under constant repair in the early 19^th century on the orders of Alexander I and by the 1870s it was a high quality road with several lanes and iron bridges over the torrents, a showcase of Russian engineering. The present lot was acquired by Knut Henrik Littorin, one-time Norwegian consul to pre-revolutionary Moscow and ardent collector of Russian art. Persuaded to exhibit part of his collection at the Baltic exhibition in Malmö in 1914, Littorin was unable to retrieve his paintings due to the outbreak of the First World War. Forced to flee Russia during the Revolution of 1917, legend has it that Littorin was able to leave Moscow in a horse-drawn carriage, swapping clothes with the coach driver en route. They were stopped by a patrol close to the Finnish border and the coach driver was executed but Littorin managed to escape to his native Sweden.