London – An important oil on canvas painting by the Russian artist, Vasilii Dmitrievich Polenov (1844-1927) which forms part of a series of paintings entitled The Life of Christ leads Bonhams 19th century and British Impressionist Art Sale on 20 March at New Bond Street. The work, ‘And she went and told them that she had been with Him as they mourned and wept’ has an estimate of £400,000-600,000. A painting from the same series, ‘There were also women looking from afar off’, achieved more than £1.5 million when it was sold at Bonhams last year.
The “Knight of Beauty”
Polenov was known to his contemporaries as the “Knight of Beauty” as his work embodied both European and Russian traditions of painting. ‘And she went and told them that she had been with Him as they mourned and wept’ was part of a series of paintings entitled The Life of Christ, completed by Polenov in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The paintings were exhibited in 1909, first in St Petersburg and then Moscow to great acclaim.
In 1908 Polenov published an album with photographs of the series. He sent one of them to the Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, who wrote in response: “Your album made a strong impression on me. I imagine how the exhibition itself would have appeared, and I deeply, deeply regret that I cannot see it…Not to mention the beauty of the paintings and your wholly sympathetic attitude to the subject, the monumental work which you have put into this series evokes deep respect for the artist.”
Daria Khristova, Bonhams Specialist, commented: “Polenov’s work possesses an amazing realist quality that entices the observer. He considered The Life of Christ series to be his life’s work. We are delighted to offer ‘And she went and told them that she had been with Him as they mourned and wept’ in this sale. It is particularly pertinent as we sold another of Polenov’s paintings from the same series last year. ‘There were also women looking from afar off’ achieved more than three times its estimate – testimony that his work continues to captivate collectors.”
James Tissot’s celebrated scene of 18th century flirtation to star in the sale
A celebrated work by James Tissot, the French painter (1836-1902), will also feature in the sale. The painting, Un dejeuner, depicting a scene of 18th century flirtation, demonstrates a marked change in subject matter by Tissot. First exhibited in Paris at the Salon of 1868, Un dejeuner is replete with storytelling detail and hidden meaning. Set in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam with its characteristic tall merchant houses lining a quayside, a man and a woman sit at a table of a café seemingly deserted apart from two men at a table behind them. The woman’s lapdog stares impressively out to the viewer. The frivolous scene is filled with ambiguous clues that can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. The work has an estimate of £200,00-300,000.
Other highlights include:
- Alphonse-Étienne Dinet (French,1861-1929), Jeu de fillettes dans la palmeraie, oil on canvas. Estimate: £150,000-250,000.
- Gaetano Chierici (Italian, 1838-1920), First Steps, oil on canvas. Estimate: £70,000-100,000.
- Sir George Clausen (British, 1852-1944), The little orchard. Estimate: £25,000-35,000.
- Sir Walter Westley Russell, RA (British, 1867-1949), A day on the beach. Estimate: £20,000-30,000.
