28 Nov 2018 Important Russian Art Auctions, at Asia House
28 November 2018
60. LAGORIO, LEV (1826–1905)
Harbour Scene, signed.
Oil on canvas, 77 by 107 cm.
150,000-200,000 GBP
Provenace: Private collection, Belgium.
Private collection, UK.
Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V. Petrov.
Litrature: Zhivopisnoe obozrenie, No. 17, 1902, p. 261, a photograph of the artist with the work.
Niva, No. 49, 1906, p. 785, a photograph of the artist with the work.
The picture Harbour Scene, now presented for auction, can certainly be regarded as one of Lev Lagorio’s best works, one of those paintings from his mature period in which he was always a romantic, capturing shades of mood and feeling in the natural world. He combined the immediacy of studies from real life with artificial colour effects in keeping with the best traditions of romantic and academic landscape painting, and this came to be the personal hallmark of his works in the 1900s. The actual compositions, made up of people walking along a coast or taking boat trips, constitute the most outstanding feature of the genre landscapes painted by Lagorio, who merged the elegance and serenity of the Italian school with Russian spiritual and emotional perceptions.
One of the most talented 19th century painters of landscapes, seascapes and battle scenes, Lagorio was born in Feodosia into the family of a Neapolitan vice consul. A childhood spent at sea and the direct influence of Ivan Aivazovsky, who lived nearby, were to determine the artist’s creative credo forever. Lagorio’s favourite subject was the sea shore. When depicting a coastline, he focused particularly on conveying the lighting, aerial perspective and the various moods of the sea.
Notes on symbols:
* Indicates 5% Import Duty Charge applies.
Ω Indicates 20% Import Duty Charge applies.
§ Indicates Artist's Resale Right applies.
† Indicates Standard VAT scheme applies, and the rate of 20% VAT will be charged on both hammer price and premium.