Lot 12: Nikolai Efimovich Rachkov , Russian 1825-1895 Portrait of a Girl, 1869 oil on canvas

signed in Cyrillic and dated 1869 (lower right) oil on canvas

measurements 30 by 25 in. alternate measurements 76 by 63.5 cm

Acquired by the Ambassador to Russia, circa 1940s
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

We would like to thank Dr. Grigory Goldovsky, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, for providing additional catalogue information.
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION
Nikolai Rachkov was born and raised in Nizhgorod Province. He was introduced to art by his father, an artist himself who shaped young Rachkov's early artistic style. Rachkov first displayed his work in 1845, at the age of 20, in an exhibition organized by the Arzamskaya Art School where he studied and later taught. His paintings were highly praised and among the most widely purchased in Russia in the late 1800s. He was most noted for his depictions of the female form as well as genre scenes of daily life of the 19υth century.

In the present painting Rachkov illustrates the quiet simplicity and innocence of a Russian child's life. The vibrant bouquet of wildflowers suggests the girl's youthful and unrestrained nature, while the fallen petals poignantly suggest the passing of time and imminent change.