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Lot Essay
One of the most fascinating figures of the art world in his time, Séraphin Soudbinine led an adventurous life determined by his passions. After spending time as a sailor on the Volga, he became an accomplished actor at the Moscow Art Theatre. Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938) became a great friend to the point that Soudbinine’s little house became his headquarters. The company met with great success and Soudbinine became a popular actor playing important roles in Alexei Tolstoy’s drama Tsar Feodor Ioannovich and Maxim Gorky’s best known play The Lower Depths.
On a trip to Paris Soudbinine met Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), whom he greatly impressed with his charismatic personality and physical strength. Enthused by Europe’s cultural mecca and his new acquaintance, Soudbinine wound up his affairs in Russia and became a practitioner in Rodin’s studio, rapidly becoming one of his favourite students. Rodin only sculpted in terracotta and needed practitioners to realise his creations in marble.
Soudbinine settled in France in 1904, quickly gaining an international reputation, exhibiting at the Salon d’Automne from 1905 and the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts from 1910. He made portraits of various talented artists and art patrons including Rodin himself, his master in sculpture, Stanislavski, his master in theatre, the opera singers Leonid Sobinov (1872-1934), Dmitri Smirnov (1882-1944), Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), the writer Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), the composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) and the American art patrons Andrew Mellon (1855-1937) and Solomon R. Guggenheim (1861-1949).
In 1909 Leonid Sobinov, the celebrated Russian tenor, embarked on a triumphal tour of Europe which included performances at La Scala in Milan and the Paris Opera. He participated in the first 'Saison Russe' presented by Sergei Diaghilev that same year in Paris, which overwhelmed audiences and immediately became the symbol of a Russian cultural renaissance.
Soudbinine sculpted the present bust of Sobinov that same year. The bust was exhibited at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (Grand Palais, Paris) in 1911 together with his marble portrait of Rodin now held in the Rodin Museum.
This impressive and monumental sculpture is an expression of life; a strong muscular body wriggling out of a raw block of marble. With this contrast of the finished and unfinished, the tenor looks particularly alive and we can feel the air inflating his broad chest just before he begins to sing. Soudbinine was clearly influenced by Michelangelo’s 'Non finito' works, particularly the Florentine master's Slaves, which he was able to admire in the Louvre. These sculptures also made a deep impression on Rodin, whose life's work owed much to Michelangelo. The muscular bodies of the Slaves emerge with all of their might from the marble blocks, growing out of prima materia. In this way, the sculptor, as a demiurge seems to give life.
Admired for his extraordinary talent, in 1913, Soudbinine modelled the superstar ballerina Anna Pavlova by order of the Tsar for the Imperial Porcelain factory. Soudbinine was the first to introduce Diaghilev’s Ballet to the factory; he began creating statuettes vividly portraying the participants of the 'Saisons Russes', which brought him much fame. Some of the statuettes are on view at the State Hermitage Museum, such as Anna Pavlova in the role of Giselle. Some were later edited in bronze, for example, five figurines of Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) now in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Decorative Arts (Legion of Honor). Leonid Sobinov was also the subject of another small bronze sculpture by Soudbinine, Sobinov in the role of Romeo (sold Christie’s, London, 26 November 2012, lot 429).
Following the Revolutions of 1917 Leonid Sobinov, the star tenor of the Bolshoi Theatre (a soloist since 1898) and the Mariinsky Theatre (a soloist since 1901), requested permission to emigrate, but was refused. He went on to become the first elected director of the Bolshoi Theatre. In recognition of his status as the most famous tenor of his time, both the Sèvres Manufactory and the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg created smaller variations of Soudbinine’s original marble bust in biscuit porcelain. Sobinov’s bust was also cast in bronze by the Rudier foundry, one version of which is located in the Memorial-House Museum of Leonid V. Sobinov in Yaroslavl.
Séraphin Soudbinine’s collaborative work with Rodin would continue for a number of years; it was Soudbinine who was responsible for sculpting in marble Rodin’s last monumental piece, The Hand of God (1916-1918), which now graces the Rodin Museum in Paris.
Later in his career Soudbinine worked with the lacquerer Jean Dunan (1877-1922) to produce sculptures and decorative panels, including a pair of large screens made in 1925-1926 for his aforementioned Guggenheim patrons, which are now held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
While in New York in 1923, Soudbinine discovered the beauty of oriental ceramics, fine examples of which he was able to view in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Aged nearly sixty, these works were a revelation to Soudbinine and prompted him to bravely abandon his successful career as a sculptor and begin again as a self-taught ceramist, advised by Paul Beyer (1873-1945) and Emile Decoeur (1876-1953). He built his own oven and learned how to make both the earthenware materials and enamels he required. Once again Soudbinine’s unique combination of strength and poetry, robustness and finish, roughness and sophistication resulted in unparalleled creations, to the extent that he was frequently named the finest art deco ceramist by major collectors, such as Karl Lagerfeld.
Major works by Séraphin Soudbinine are extremely rare on the market. Christie's is honoured to offer the present work, this magnificent bust of Leonid Sobinov, the first large marble to appear at auction.
We are grateful to Dr Ekaterina Khmelnitskaya, Curator of Russian Porcelain at the State Hermitage, St Petersburg, for her assistance with researching this work.
On a trip to Paris Soudbinine met Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), whom he greatly impressed with his charismatic personality and physical strength. Enthused by Europe’s cultural mecca and his new acquaintance, Soudbinine wound up his affairs in Russia and became a practitioner in Rodin’s studio, rapidly becoming one of his favourite students. Rodin only sculpted in terracotta and needed practitioners to realise his creations in marble.
Soudbinine settled in France in 1904, quickly gaining an international reputation, exhibiting at the Salon d’Automne from 1905 and the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts from 1910. He made portraits of various talented artists and art patrons including Rodin himself, his master in sculpture, Stanislavski, his master in theatre, the opera singers Leonid Sobinov (1872-1934), Dmitri Smirnov (1882-1944), Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), the writer Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), the composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) and the American art patrons Andrew Mellon (1855-1937) and Solomon R. Guggenheim (1861-1949).
In 1909 Leonid Sobinov, the celebrated Russian tenor, embarked on a triumphal tour of Europe which included performances at La Scala in Milan and the Paris Opera. He participated in the first 'Saison Russe' presented by Sergei Diaghilev that same year in Paris, which overwhelmed audiences and immediately became the symbol of a Russian cultural renaissance.
Soudbinine sculpted the present bust of Sobinov that same year. The bust was exhibited at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (Grand Palais, Paris) in 1911 together with his marble portrait of Rodin now held in the Rodin Museum.
This impressive and monumental sculpture is an expression of life; a strong muscular body wriggling out of a raw block of marble. With this contrast of the finished and unfinished, the tenor looks particularly alive and we can feel the air inflating his broad chest just before he begins to sing. Soudbinine was clearly influenced by Michelangelo’s 'Non finito' works, particularly the Florentine master's Slaves, which he was able to admire in the Louvre. These sculptures also made a deep impression on Rodin, whose life's work owed much to Michelangelo. The muscular bodies of the Slaves emerge with all of their might from the marble blocks, growing out of prima materia. In this way, the sculptor, as a demiurge seems to give life.
Admired for his extraordinary talent, in 1913, Soudbinine modelled the superstar ballerina Anna Pavlova by order of the Tsar for the Imperial Porcelain factory. Soudbinine was the first to introduce Diaghilev’s Ballet to the factory; he began creating statuettes vividly portraying the participants of the 'Saisons Russes', which brought him much fame. Some of the statuettes are on view at the State Hermitage Museum, such as Anna Pavlova in the role of Giselle. Some were later edited in bronze, for example, five figurines of Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) now in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Decorative Arts (Legion of Honor). Leonid Sobinov was also the subject of another small bronze sculpture by Soudbinine, Sobinov in the role of Romeo (sold Christie’s, London, 26 November 2012, lot 429).
Following the Revolutions of 1917 Leonid Sobinov, the star tenor of the Bolshoi Theatre (a soloist since 1898) and the Mariinsky Theatre (a soloist since 1901), requested permission to emigrate, but was refused. He went on to become the first elected director of the Bolshoi Theatre. In recognition of his status as the most famous tenor of his time, both the Sèvres Manufactory and the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg created smaller variations of Soudbinine’s original marble bust in biscuit porcelain. Sobinov’s bust was also cast in bronze by the Rudier foundry, one version of which is located in the Memorial-House Museum of Leonid V. Sobinov in Yaroslavl.
Séraphin Soudbinine’s collaborative work with Rodin would continue for a number of years; it was Soudbinine who was responsible for sculpting in marble Rodin’s last monumental piece, The Hand of God (1916-1918), which now graces the Rodin Museum in Paris.
Later in his career Soudbinine worked with the lacquerer Jean Dunan (1877-1922) to produce sculptures and decorative panels, including a pair of large screens made in 1925-1926 for his aforementioned Guggenheim patrons, which are now held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
While in New York in 1923, Soudbinine discovered the beauty of oriental ceramics, fine examples of which he was able to view in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Aged nearly sixty, these works were a revelation to Soudbinine and prompted him to bravely abandon his successful career as a sculptor and begin again as a self-taught ceramist, advised by Paul Beyer (1873-1945) and Emile Decoeur (1876-1953). He built his own oven and learned how to make both the earthenware materials and enamels he required. Once again Soudbinine’s unique combination of strength and poetry, robustness and finish, roughness and sophistication resulted in unparalleled creations, to the extent that he was frequently named the finest art deco ceramist by major collectors, such as Karl Lagerfeld.
Major works by Séraphin Soudbinine are extremely rare on the market. Christie's is honoured to offer the present work, this magnificent bust of Leonid Sobinov, the first large marble to appear at auction.
We are grateful to Dr Ekaterina Khmelnitskaya, Curator of Russian Porcelain at the State Hermitage, St Petersburg, for her assistance with researching this work.