Lot 11: Elizaveta Merkur'evna Bem [Endaurova] (1843-1914)

A collection of silhouettes and sketches of various subjects including children
pencil, black ink and watercolor on paper
14 x 9 in. (35.6 x 20.9 cm.); and smaller
39 (39)

Elizaveta Bem was one of the first professional female artists in Russia. Having studied under I. Kramskoi and P. Chistiakov, Bem began to experiment with silhouette in 1875 and went on to illustrate a number of publications for children including the fables of I. Krylov (1878) and Pirog (1880), a charming tale about a little girl whose pie is eaten by her dog. Her highly decorative work also appeared in the journals Niva and Novoe vremia and was exhibited internationally during the 1900s. The artist herself gained considerable recognition during her lifetime and was painted by both I. Repin and M. Vrubel.