- 534
Bourgeoise Selling Her Wares At Market, State Porcelain Manufactory, Petrograd/Leningrad, circa 1925
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
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Description
- porcelain
- height 29cm, 11 1/2 in.
after a 1918 design by Alisa Brusketti-Mitrokhina, green factory mark, date illegible, incised M
Exhibited
Hillwood Museum, no. 19; Pushkin Museum, no. 24
Literature
Oda k Radosti/Ode to Joy, p. 93, cat. no. 54; for comparison, see Nosovich and Popova, p. 324 and N. Lobanov-Rostovsky, Revolutionary Ceramics: Soviet Porcelain 1917-1927, London, 1990, cat. no. 86, p. 92.
Condition
Excellent condition. Minor firing flaws, particularly visible on the pedestal. One small area of loss to the glazing to the reverse right of the figure's fur collar. A scratch through the glaze on the underside over the factory mark, 1.5cm long and 4mm wide.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Members of the bourgeoisie and nobility, the so-called 'former people' (byivshie liudie), were often unable to secure legal employment in the early Soviet period and survived by selling their now useless finery at the markets, their appearance providing a strong visual image of the changes brought about by the new regime. The present lot takes a somewhat disdainful view of the figure, whose veiled face suggests her shame at her diminished position in society, her former beauty gone, like her way of life.
The plight of the 'former people' fascinated foreign spectators. In 1921, the New York Times published an account of once-wealthy and powerful citizens selling their porcelain, snuffboxes and silk undergarments to meet their basic needs; see 'Princess Who Became Peddler Tells Her Own Story of Moscow,' The New York Times, 17 April 1921, p. 86.