- 91
Daniil Klavdievich Stepanov
Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 GBP
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Description
- Daniil Klavdievich Stepanov
- Prayer, Samarkand
- signed in Latin, inscribed Samarkand and dated 1925 t.r.; further numbered 253 on the Venice Biennale exhibition labels on the reverse
- tempera on wood
- 97.5 by 80cm, 38 1/2 by 31 1/2 in.
Exhibited
Venice, XV Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte della Città di Venezia, 1926 (not listed in the catalogue)
Rome, Palazzo dell'Augusteo, June 1927
Rome, Palazzo dell'Augusteo, June 1927
Literature
V.Golzio, 'Cronaca delle esposizioni', Roma: rivista di studi e di vita romana, V, 1927, no.6, p.283, mentioned in the text
Condition
Structural Condition
The canvas is securely adhered to a panel with a wooden strainer attached to the reverse. This
is providing a relatively even and stable structural support. There are several minor
depressions which are attributable to the panel support. These are stable.
Paint Surface
The painting has a relatively even varnish layer.
The paint surface has scattered localised areas of raised craquelure, most notably within the left
and central figure's clothing, and within the foliage in the lower left quadrant of the
composition. These are stable.
Inspection under ultra-violet light shows scattered retouchings, including:
1) areas of retouching within the reflection of the trees in the lower left quadrant of the
composition,
2) small spots and lines of retouching within central upper figure's clothing, and an area of
retouching on the upper left figure's right shoulder,
3) two small spots of retouching within the wall of the building in the upper right,
4) two small spots of retouching below the reflection of the central figure, and
5) intermittent retouchings on the extreme edges of the composition.
Summary
The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition and would
benefit from cleaning, restoration and revarnishing, including the removal and replacement of
any previous restoration work.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Replica Shoes 's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Replica Shoes 's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Replica Shoes 's or the Seller."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Replica Shoes 's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Replica Shoes 's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Replica Shoes 's or the Seller."
Catalogue Note
Daniil Stepanov’s Prayer, Samarkand is an important work of Russian modernism from a now legendary group of exiled Russian artists in Turkestan at the beginning of the 1920s which included Alessio Issupoff, Usto-Mumin, Alexander Volkov and Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin.
One of very few known surviving works by the artist, Prayer, Samarkand was most likely painted upon Stepanov’s return from Turkestan to his wife’s homeland of Italy in 1925. His wife’s family owned a well-known photographic studio in Orvieto and this exciting new technology had captivated Stepanov, who became an accomplished photographer himself. The influence of photography is most evident in the unusual composition of the present lot. The telescopic perspective places the three figures at quite a distance from the viewer and it is the pond, or khauz, which fills the largest area of the composition, displacing the figures in the pictorial hierarchy and showing the majority of the scene in reflection.
In Samarkand Stepanov had been head of the artistic division of Samkomstaris – the commission for the preservation of the historical and artistic heritage of Samarkand – and he continued his restoration work in Italy, in particular working on the restoration of Renaissance pictures and frescoes. A contemporary review of his 1927 solo exhibition in Rome compares Stepanov with the masters of the Quattrocento and his use of tempera speaks to this influence, as does the meditative stillness reminiscent of the frescoes of Piero della Francesca. Although not listed in the catalogue, the work was exhibited at the 1926 Venice Biennale as attested to by the labels on the reverse.
One of very few known surviving works by the artist, Prayer, Samarkand was most likely painted upon Stepanov’s return from Turkestan to his wife’s homeland of Italy in 1925. His wife’s family owned a well-known photographic studio in Orvieto and this exciting new technology had captivated Stepanov, who became an accomplished photographer himself. The influence of photography is most evident in the unusual composition of the present lot. The telescopic perspective places the three figures at quite a distance from the viewer and it is the pond, or khauz, which fills the largest area of the composition, displacing the figures in the pictorial hierarchy and showing the majority of the scene in reflection.
In Samarkand Stepanov had been head of the artistic division of Samkomstaris – the commission for the preservation of the historical and artistic heritage of Samarkand – and he continued his restoration work in Italy, in particular working on the restoration of Renaissance pictures and frescoes. A contemporary review of his 1927 solo exhibition in Rome compares Stepanov with the masters of the Quattrocento and his use of tempera speaks to this influence, as does the meditative stillness reminiscent of the frescoes of Piero della Francesca. Although not listed in the catalogue, the work was exhibited at the 1926 Venice Biennale as attested to by the labels on the reverse.