Lot 63: Petr Petrovich Vereshchagin (1836-1886)

View of Oni, Georgia
signed in Cyrillic 'P. Vereshchagin' (lower right) and inscribed in Russian 'Oni' (lower left)
oil on canvas
7 1/8 x 11 in. (18.1 x 28 in.)

Born in Perm, Petr Vereshchagin (1836-1886), the brother of Vasilii Petrovich, was already established as a fresco painter before he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. He eventually became an Academician in 1873. Vereshchagin was particularly known for his skill at rendering perspective and, owing to his peregrination through Russia, his topographical views. The work stemming from his visits to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Finland, Crimea, the Caucasus, Kiev, Sebastopol and the Urals was frequently on show at Academicians' Exhibitions from 1868.

Lots 63-64 depict Georgian views which may have been executed circa 1874 when Vereshchagin exhibited five views of Tiflis (Tbilisi) and the source of the Rioni river (see F. I. Bulgakov, Nashi khudozhniki, St. Petersburg, 1890, p. 87.). Mtskhet (Mtskheta), the ancient capital of Georgia, is situated in the Kartli province near Tbilisi and Oni is located in the province of Rach'a on the banks of the Rioni.

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.