Description:

HENRYK HEKTOR SIEMIRADZKI (Russian 1843-1902)
Portrait of a Bearded Man- likely a study of Christ for the painting Christ and the Samaratin-1890
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right and dated 1890
17 inches x 13.5 inches (43 x 34 cm)

Provenance:
Private Midwest collection U.S.A.

Henryk Siemiradzki was born into a noble Polish family in 1843 in the far western reaches of the Russian Empire. By the end of his life he had been elected to the Academies of Berlin, Stockholm, Rome and Turin, and his pictures now grace the walls of many museums both in Russia and in Poland, where he is hugely revered; a whole room of the Kracow Museum is dedicated to him.

Henryk, who studied Physics, Mathematics and the Natural Sciences at Kharkov University, had taken painting lessons at the local Kharkov Gymnasium from Dimitri Besperchy, a former pupil of the great Karl Briullov (whose affinity for grand Biblical and Classical subjects Siemiradzki shared and was to revive). In 1864 he decided to move to St. Petersburg, abandon his scientific background and to study painting at the Imperial Academy. The institution was not easy to enter, but he managed it, made a great impression on his fellow students with his skill and the breadth of his knowledge, and in 1870 qualified with the Gold Medal.

But St. Petersburg and Russia were in the grip of the social and didactic painting championed by the critic Valerii Stasov, the painter Ilya Repin and by the "Wanderers" movement, who were obsessed with realism, wanted to bring art to the people, and to show how Russia really lived. In 1857, Pavel Tretyakov, the wealthy art collector on the basis of whose pictures the Russian national collection was eventually formed, had written his famous letter in which he challenged landscape painters for once to give him "a dirty puddle… I need neither rich nature, nor magnificent compositions, dramatic light effects, nor wonders of any sort…"

It is clear that Siemiradzki could not have cared less about dirty puddles, and in 1871 he left St. Petersburg, first for Munich, and then, at the age of 29, to Rome. From his studio there, Siemiradzki was to become the leading and most popular exponent of what is now described as "late Academism"; taking as subjects the old fashioned themes that had been so much in favour decades before, particularly early Christianity, stories from the Bible and Antiquity. These he brought to life with an almost Hollywood-like glamour, achieved by the sparklingly high quality of his painting, his tremendous light effects and the huge sizes of his canvases. Until the end of his life he continued to annoy Stasov, in particular because his monumental pictures (Nero's Torches (1876, a massive 385 x 704 cm and now in the National Museum in Krakow), Christian Dirce (1897, 263 x 530 cm, National Museum Warsaw) and the exquisite Christ and the Samaritan (1890, 106 x 184 cm, Lv'iv Museum) were so successful and caused such a sensation when they were displayed to the public. In a letter of 1886 from Ivan Kramskoy to Stasov, the painter consoles the critic that their time will come again, but that clearly the type of paintings produced by Siemiradzki "is the most demanded now".

It is to Siemiradzki's beautiful, bucolic work of 1890, Christ and the Samaritan Woman (see illustration above), that we look to for context for the offered highly finished and intimate portrait study. Painted in the same year, the dark, expressive, bearded man is clearly related to the figure of Jesus Christ in the celebrated larger work. We see the same measured turn of the head, the same fall of dark wavy hair onto white linen, and the same strong nose and hollowed cheekbones. Only the expression is marginally different; a more inquisitive look, as well as the hand gesture, adds the element of discourse to Christ and the Samaritan Woman. The picture may have started as a study; the mottled grey ground in Portrait of a Bearded Man is probably Siemiradzki's trial and appraisal of his subject's colouring against the boulder and the olive tree we see in the background of Christ and the Samaritan Woman. But the high degree of finish make this more than a working study. Given the sensitivity and quality of the portrait, it is no surprise for Siemiradzki to have signed his name in full.

SHIPPING NOTICE:
Jackson's is your sole and only source for one stop packing and shipping. With over 50 years of experience, our professional, affordable and efficient in-house shipping department will be happy to provide you a fair and reasonable shipping quote on this lot. Simply email us before the auction for a quick quote: [email protected] or call 1-800-665-6743. Jackson's can expertly pack and ship to meet any of your needs. To ensure quality control Jackson's DOES NOT release to third party shippers.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Jackson's is your sole and only source for one stop packing and shipping. With over 50 years of experience, our professional, affordable and efficient in house shipping department will expertly pack and ship to meet any of your needs. To ensure quality control Jackson's DOES NOT release to third party shippers. Our in-house shipping department provides shipping services, as such; a shipping price is included on your invoice calculated to the address listed on your invoice. Please indicate any special shipping instructions or different ship-to address immediately after the auction.

The shipping price includes packing, insurance and shipping cost. (For international shipments buyer is responsible for all duties, customs, and taxes, which are NOT included in the shipping price. In adherence with federal shipping regulations, Jackson's will not alter any invoices for shipping). Please note that shipping after an auction is done in the order payment is received and cleared - because of this, shipping times may be 4-6 weeks post payment.

All prospective bidders may request a shipping quote for their prospective lots ahead of the auction. This shipping quote is an estimate of the cost of standard shipping as well as charges for materials and labor.

Purchases paid by personal check will not be shipped until funds have cleared Auctioneer's bank.

Please note that International shipping is not available for ivory items. These items will only be shipped within the United States, except to California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. All buyers agree to comply with any additional restrictions regarding the trade of endangered species as a condition of sale. It is the purchaser's responsibility to obtain any licenses and/or certificates as well as any other required documentation prior to shipment. In the case of denial or delay of any required documentation or paperwork, they buyer will still be responsible for making on-time payment for the total purchase price of the lot. Therefore, if you are unsure, Jackson's recommend that you DO NOT BID on ivory items. We support the ban on the sale of non-antique carved ivory objects of art.

For those items that may require freight shipping, please contact Jackson's International ahead of the auction to discuss shipping arrangements. Please note that freight purchases will likely take 8-12 weeks for delivery after payment has been cleared.

In the event that items need to be stored over 30 days, storage charges may apply at a rate not to exceed $10 per lot/per day.

Purchaser agrees that after 60 days after the date of the auction, if the purchased merchandise has not been removed or other arrangements have not been authorized by Jackson's personnel in writing, the merchandise shall be sold at auction at no reserve. All costs of notice, advertising, commissions, the sale and additional storage fees per lot at $10.00 per day will be assessed against the proceeds of the sale. Any funds remaining after the resale of the items and payment of auction fees and storage fees will be distributed as required by law.

July 30, 2019 10:00 AM CDT
Cedar Falls, IA, US

Jackson's International

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 30% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 + $1,000