Lot 15: Benjamin Patersson (1748-1815)

A St. Petersburg sbiten-seller
signed and dated 'Ben Patersson pinxit./1800' (lower left)
oil on canvas, unframed
30 1/2 x 27 1/2 in. (77.5 x 69.9 cm.)

ANOTHER PROPERTY

Born in Varberg in Sweden, Benjamin Patersson studied in Göteborg before becoming a journeyman in 1769. After a brief sojourn in Riga, Patersson's arrival in St. Petersburg was marked by the following advertisement in the Sankt Peterburgskie vedomosti: 'St. Petersburg has been visited by the artist Patersson, who executes portraits and history pictures in oil and pencil. He begs to inform all devotees of art that he is now living in Pogenpol's house at Blue Bridge No. 154' (22nd January 1787).
Although the advertisement refers to history pictures and portraits, today Patersson is remembered for his city views of St. Petersburg which have survived in greater numbers. Appointed as painter of the Imperial Court, in 1800 Patersson executed a series of ten views from the shores of the Neva dedicated to Tsar Paul I.
The present portrait combines the genres of portraiture and veduta, and reflects the fashion of depicting street vendors and urban views, although the depiction of such characters in detail is rare. Other artists who were far more prolific in this field include Aleksandr Orlovskii who depicted such vendors in the first ever lithographs produced in Russia. A large number of these street vendors were reproduced in the St. Petersburg periodical The Magic Lantern (Volshebnoi fonar') in 1817. This topic continued to be a favourite amongst artists until the beginning of the 20th Century, the photographer William Carrick also contributed to the genre.
Patterson depicts a sbiten-seller seated in the centre of St. Petersburg with Falconet's statue of Peter the Great to the left and The Academy of Arts to the right. On his lap, the vendor holds a vessel containing sbiten - a traditional hot drink made from spices, herbs and honey.
There are two other known versions of this painting in existence; one entitled 'The sbiten-seller', dated 1796 and in the collection at Tsarskoe selo, the other is entitled 'Street vendor in St. Petersburg' and is in the collections of Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.

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