Alexandre Jacovleff (Russian, 1887-1938) Still Life with Mask and Shell

Description:

Alexandre Jacovleff (Russian, 1887-1938)

Still Life with Mask and Shell
Unsigned.
Oil on canvas mounted to canvas-backed Masonite, 21 1/8 x 17 in. (53.7 x 43.2 cm),framed.
Condition: Craquelure with paint loss to u.l. corner, surface grime.

Provenance: From the artist's estate to Herbert P. Vose, Boston, by descent to current owners.

N.B. Alexandre Jacovleff (Aleksandr Yakovlev) was a Russian painter, designer, and graphic artist born and educated in St. Petersburg. In 1916 Yakovlev became a professor at the Institute of Art History in St. Petersburg. However, after the October Revolution in 1917, he immigrated to France, later becoming a French citizen. In the 1920s, Yakovlev worked as an artistic adviser to the car company Citroën and made several foreign expeditions, including to Madagascar, Syria, Iran, Mongolia, China, and Japan. He achieved his initial reputation in the West as an accomplished ethnographic draughtsman, based on his depictions of native types, rituals, and scenes. In the early 1930s, Yakovlev spent three years as Chairman of the Department of Painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, returning to Paris in 1937, and residing there and on Capri until the end of this life.

When translated from Russian, the artist's name is spelled a variety of ways including Aleksandr Yakovlev and Alexander Evgenievich Iacovleff.
Estimate $4,000-6,000

Framed dimensions are 24 3/8 x 20 1/4 inches.

A cluster of 4 or 5 small paint losses at the upper left edge, in an area measuring about 3/4 x 1/4 inch. Minor surface imperfections. Fine craquelure in areas of heavier impasto and in the background at upper left. No other condition issues to report.

Description of the Framing: The Masonite panel, which is backed with canvas, is held in place in the frame by a wood strainer which was originally nailed into the frame. Some delamination of the canvas backing from of the Masonite support. Glue residue on the edges of the back of the Masonite support and on the underside of the strainer itself, where the two pieces had originally been glued together.


The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email (lot inquiry button) or by telephone to the appropriate gallery location (Boston/617.350.5400 or Marlborough/508.970.3000). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

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