12 and 13 October 2009 held in London auctioneers Christie's, which will be exhibited works of decorative art and paintings from the collection of one of the most famous Parisian art dealers in the field of Russian art - the gallery Popoff. Attention collectors will be offered 550 works, including rare porcelain XVIII - XIX centuries, watercolors, works of arts and crafts and fabrics.

Gallery Popoff belongs to one of the most famous collections of Russian art. The recently published book «Masterpieces of Russian porcelain of XVIII century from the collections of galleries and galleries Popoff Cie», article contains the most authoritative experts on porcelain (employees of leading Russian museums), was dedicated in honor of outstanding porcelain of XVIII century, assembled by three generations of collectors gallery Popoff.

Alexei Tiesenhausen, head of the International Department of Russian Art Christie's, said: «put up for tender this collection - it is a great honor for us. We are pleased that this event will enable us to enrich the auction calendar autumn, adding a separate bidding on Russian decorative and applied art and painting. Gallery Popoff is one of the world's oldest art dealers in the field of Russian art. Over the past 90 years, her clients included many prominent collectors. And I must say that the impeccable reputation, established by Alexander Alexandrovich Popov, offers its customers the best of everything that has been on the market, rightly preserved in the gallery until the present day. The October auction at Christie's London will give collectors a unique opportunity to purchase products originating from the collection, which will be remembered and to speak for many decades and which bear the inimitable stamp of Russian history ».

Porcelain

Alexander Popov's interest in Russian art was boundless, but his special passion was porcelain. His vast experience and phenomenal intuition entered into legend. According to the memoirs of one of the collectors, when he, being still young, faces in the gallery with the already elderly owner, he was amazed at how Alexander, who had poor eyesight, to the touch to give exact specifications he had brought to his performance evaluation. It is this kind of dedication has allowed Alexander Popov create a collection that to this day remains one of the most significant private collections of Russian porcelain, located outside Russia.

first part of the tender (October 12) will be devoted to Russian and European porcelain of XVIII century. Many of the lots offered for auction have a truly outstanding provenance. This is a work made for Catherine the Great, Grand Duke Paul Petrovich (future Emperor Paul I), the Empress Maria Feodorovna, Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. A wide range of works and estimate of lots starting from 2 thousand pounds, of particular interest to collectors.

top lot is a section of porcelain tableware, made by masters of the Berlin Royal Porcelain Manufactory in 1778 for the Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, commissioned by the Prussian King Friedrich II (estimate 200-300 thousand pounds). In each subject the service is the emblem Russia Empire and the ducal insignia kind of Holstein-Gottorp (to which belonged to my grandmother future Emperor Paul I).

Another masterpiece from the imperial provenance is a service 1760-ies, commissioned by Catherine the Great at the Imperial Porcelain Factory specifically for Count Grigory Grigorievich Orlov, who with his brothers helped Catherine ascended the throne in 1762 . At the auction will be put up three deep dish from the service, painted on the motives of its famous historical and portrait painter Gabriel Ignatievitch Kozlov. Each of the dishes decorated with a monogram «MGO» (initials Orlova), which is intertwined with pictures of trophies, associated with a military career of Count (estimate each dish 60-80 thousand pounds).

By the day of the coronation of Catherine the Great in 1762 following the overthrow of the throne of her husband Peter III, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory of St. Petersburg produced a special presentation set, consisting of a saucer and cup with a lid decorated with a double-headed eagle. The uniqueness of this lot that analogues of this work does not exist in any museum collections of Russia (estimate 150-170 thousand pounds).

Watercolors

Interests Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Popov spread not only on porcelain. He also was a prominent expert on Russian watercolor painting, which will be devoted to the second part of the tender (13 October). Gallery Collection includes works by such prominent Russian artists of the early XIX century, as Alexander and Karl Briullov , Peter Sokolov and Vladimir Hau . Each of them was a real master, who raised Russian school of watercolor painting at the highest level. Portrait resemblance and an unparalleled level of artistic mastery Russian watercolors in the works from the collection of Popov creates a kind of visual chronicle of the life of Russia's secular society of the XIX century. In particular, this applies to the portrait of Natalia Goncharova (1812-1863) brush Vladimir Ivanovich Hau (estimate 120-160 thousand pounds). Natalia Goncharova, wife of the great poet Alexander Pushkin, was resplendent beauty.

At watercolors Peter Sokolov (1791-1848) «Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna» 1829 representatives of the imperial family are depicted on the background of the sea coast (estimate 100-150 thousand pounds). Born Princess Friederike Wilhelmine Charlotte, also known as Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III and his wife, Queen Louise, married a brother of Russia's Tsar Alexander I, Grand Duke Nicholas, in June 1817.

After the accession to the throne of spouse in 1825, Alexandra became Empress of Russia. Characterized by the low health the Empress was very fond of spending time at sea, as the sea air was beneficial to her. In watercolor, it is shown with his 10-year-old daughter, Maria Nikolaevna.

One of the top lots section is watercolor portrait Dzhovaniny Pacini (1799-1852) Karl Briullov brush. Dzhovanina served as a model for several works Karl Briullov. Her adoptive mother was one of the richest women in Russia - the Countess Julia Samoilova, which for some time was a romantic connection with the artist and commissioned him a few portraits of her daughter. This work is an excellent example of craftsmanship of the artist in the transfer of color contrasts and nuances and impeccable attention to detail. At watercolors Dzhovanina depicted in a black shawl against the cloudy sky (estimate 100-120 thousand pounds).

works of decorative art and textiles

collection offered for the October auction, includes a number of works of decorative art and textiles, in particular the selection of embroidered sarafans and kokoshniks, which is a unique testimony to Russia's history. Embroidery was one of the most common female occupation for several centuries, and kokoshnik, from the XVII century, to the function of normal female headdress added feature distinctive display the status of a married woman, figure and well-being of its origin. Sovremennik details of female dress of that time could tell a lot about its owner. For example, kokoshnik crescent (estimate 3-5 thousand pounds) gave its owner a resident of central Russia.

At the tender exposed gold medal All-Russia industrial and art exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod in 1896 (estimate 5-7 thousand pounds). The obverse of the coin shows the profile of Nicholas II, the founder of the exhibition, and on the back - the urban landscape of Nizhny Novgorod.

A sketch of the monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square in St. Petersburg work Auguste Montferrand evaluated by experts of the auction house at 60-90 thousand pounds. He put up for auction, along with detailed drawings, which shows the structure and architectural details of the monument. Montferrand primarily known as the designer of the two most famous areas of the Northern capital - Palace and St. Isaac's. The significance of this lot is increasing against the background of 150-year anniversary of the erection of the monument, celebrated this year.

Gallery Popoff was founded by Alexander Alexandrovich Popov in 1920 in Paris and is located opposite the Elysee Palace. The list of clients gallery since 1930, included a lot of famous people, among whom were the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Giovanni Agnelli, Mstislav Rostropovich and Leonard Bernstein. Sam Alexander Popov close contact with representatives of the Russian emigration, among whom Konstantin Korovin , Yuri Annenkov , Philip Malyavin , Zinaida Serebryakova , and others, of each of these artists exhibited in the gallery. In 1935 the gallery was awarded the first Honorary Grand Prix of Paris for the highest quality of the exhibited works.

Gallery Popoff continue its work, shifting the focus of their interests in the sphere of French painting of the XIX century.

Source : Press Release Christie's