Lot Essay
For more information on this artist and this collection, please see lot 110.
.jpg?w=1)
Sergei Chekhonin embodies all facets of the complete artist: painter, illustrator, designer for theater or porcelain. Student of Ilya Repin and Princess Tenisheva, he became an active member of Mir Iskusstva while engaged as an illustrator which provided him a popular success. His will to restore the art book of the 18th and 19th centuries emphasized on decorative elegance. The present lots 117, 118 and 119 are a perfect reflect of Chekhonin's talent with mixing art of the past and a transition to modernity.
This rare multipurpose artist developed a distinctive personal style where calligraphy, the use of garlands, bouquets and other classic designs take a prominent place. He perfectly symbolizes the transition to modernity of a rich and inventive Russian decorative art. Therefore, he naturally served as artistic director of the State Porcelain Factory from 1918 to 1923 where its creations are still admired by connoisseurs. The artist remains probably the most important reference for the creation of post-revolutionary porcelain. His profound knowledge of culture and his impeccable sense of design mixed with a deep exploration of colours are the skills which put Chekhonin at a level rarely reached by any other artists. During the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1925, he was awarded, amongst other Russian porcelain designers, a gold medal for his works. The present lot 112 is a clear evidence of a work in progress for a porcelain plate design with a rare sense of details and a perfect balance of proportions.
Emigrated to France in 1928, he met and married Ms. Vichegzhanin, also a Russian émigré and already mother of the young Pierre who will become the artist Pierre Ino (1909-1989).
Rare on the market, the work of Sergei Chekhonin borrows many ways. The group presented in the next pages comes from the collection of Pierre Ino and shows us an intimate vision of the art of Chekhonin where each piece reveals more about his creative process and a glimpse into the artist's world.
Sergei Chekhonin (1878-1936)
A design for a plate: The Sun
Details
Sergei Chekhonin (1878-1936)
A design for a plate: The Sun
signed in Cyrillic 'Sergei Chekhonin' (lower centre)
pencil and watercolour, heightened with gold, on card
9¾ x 13 in. (25 x 33 cm.)
A design for a plate: The Sun
signed in Cyrillic 'Sergei Chekhonin' (lower centre)
pencil and watercolour, heightened with gold, on card
9¾ x 13 in. (25 x 33 cm.)
Provenance
The artist's stepson, Pierre Ino.
By descent in the family to the present owner.
By descent in the family to the present owner.
Brought to you by
Anna Belousova