Daria Khristova nee Chernenko
Department Director
Lot 43
Vladimir Vasilievich Lebedev(Russian, 1891-1967)Study for 'At the world's arena', 1923 unframed
5 June 2013, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£3,000 - £5,000
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Vladimir Vasilievich Lebedev (Russian, 1891-1967)
Study for 'At the world's arena', 1923
Indian ink, pencil and bodycolour on paper
32 x 37cm (12 5/8 x 14 9/16in).
unframed
Indian ink, pencil and bodycolour on paper
32 x 37cm (12 5/8 x 14 9/16in).
unframed
Footnotes
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Berlin
The offered lot is a study for an illustration in the journal Drezina, Petrograd, no.4, 1923, pp.8-9. This illustration was described in a previous issue of the journal (Drezina, no.3, 1923) in a feature entitled 'Newbald', about Stanley Baldwin, written by 'All Right', the pseudonym of M.A. Bulgakov:
'In the drawing At the world's arena, a circus is depicted, with Chicherin shown among the audience; Baldwin is a trainer and R. Poincaré is in front of him on the stool, portrayed as a bear. At the heart of the scene, not visible at first, is a small 'ass' – Curzon. Yes, this is the way it is; a joker has painted a pile of faeces beneath him! And we suppose that we know the name of that "joker".'
«На рисунке "мировая арена" изображена буквально – в виде цирковой, Чичерин находится среди зрителей, Болдуин подвизается в роли дрессировщика, перед ним послушно сидит Р.Пуанкаре в образе медведя на тумбе, а в глубине, так что сразу и не заметишь, нарисован маленький "осел" – Керзон. И... да-да, так оно и есть: какой-то шутник изобразил под ним кучки брызжущего кала! И мы, кажется, догадываемся, как зовут этого "шутника".»