Although it most likely dates to the late 1910s this still life is inscribed with the date 1914. Rather than referring to the date of its execution, Goncharova scholars have suggested that this commemorates the date of Goncharova’s first.mes eting with the leader of the Italian Futurists, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Marinetti visited Russia in early 1914 where he received a decidedly cool, if not frosty, reception – Larionov said that he should have egg thrown in his face and Goncharova accused him of despising women because the Italian Futurists would not admit them to the movement – but a link between the Russians and the Italians was nevertheless established.

Just a few months later, in April Goncharova and Larionov travelled to Rome where they contributed works to the first Futurist exhibition. When they left Russia for the last t.mes in 1915, the couple spent six months in Italy in 1916-1917. During this period, Diaghilev’s presence helped to smooth over any rifts, he commissioned some of the Italian Futurists to produce designs for Ballets Russes productions, and Goncharova in particular formed lasting friendships with some of the Italian artists and contributed to exhibitions.

The present lot was for many years in the collects ion of the Italian art historian and and publisher Arturo Schwarz whose gallery in Milan was the location of the last exhibition of Goncharova and Larionov’s works to be held during her lifet.mes , Larionov / Goncharova: Mostra collettiva, in 1961.

The restricted palette of ochre, brown and maroon was likely influenced by her t.mes in Spain in 1915, it shares the same distinctive colour scheme as several of Goncharova’s works from the late 1910s, including the Peacocks from the Batliner collects ion now in the Albertina (fig.1); as her biographer Mary Chamot writes: ‘The colour scheme of yellow, orange and red also differs from the pictures painted in Russia, where blue tended to prevail except in the designs for Le Coq d’Or.’ (Goncharova, Stage Designs and Paintings, 1979, p.78).