Marine realms of Aivazovsky

On November 25th, a significant event took place in London: Sotheby’s once again hosted its Fabergé, Imperial & Revolutionary Art auction. This marked the first sale of its kind since 2022, offering collectors a unique opportunity to engage with Russian artistic traditions. The catalogue was compiled entirely from private collections.

In the absence of a traditional "Russian Week", the auction house successfully assembled a representative selection of Russian fine and decorative art spanning the mid-19th to the early 21st century.

The spotlight falls on the renowned marine painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, whose seascapes hold a special value for those who love and understand the sea. His paintings are not merely depictions of the ocean, but rather frozen moments capturing the grandeur of the elements.

Among them is the monumental canvas "The Rescue" (1878, 195 × 266 cm). This work has already made its mark in Sotheby’s auction history, selling in New York in April 2004, setting a record as the largest Aivazovsky painting ever offered at public auction. Its composition echoes his famous "The Ninth Wave", but the emotional focus here shifts towards nascent hope: an exhausted sailor at the bow of a lifeboat points into the distance, while patches of blue sky appear through breaks in the clouds. The expected price for such a top lot is substantial.

In stark contrast to the drama of a storm, "Rest by the Sea on a Moonlit Night" (1880, 104 × 148 cm) draws attention. In his nocturnes, Aivazovsky fully demonstrated his mastery in capturing the most delicate reflections of moonlight on water, a skill that brought him international fame. More than half of the canvas is filled with a night sky bathed in light from an unseen moon. In the foreground, a young woman in Ukrainian attire sleeps peacefully on a cart, while a pair of oxen dozes nearby. This is a large-scale variation on one of the artist's most recognisable themes.

Of particular interest in this auction was a group of works recently discovered in Italy. These Aivazovsky seascapes, once owned by the grandmother of the current owners, a Greek national, remained in a single family for three generations, unseen by specialists and the public. They may have been originally acquired in Istanbul or Paris, cities the artist frequently visited.

An example from Aivazovsky's early European period is "Sailboat off the Coast of Capri" (1855, 34.5 × 71 cm). The Gulf of Naples and the island of Capri itself held a prominent place in his oeuvre. This work is one of the earliest examples of a theme important to the artist, reflecting the serene beauty of the Mediterranean.

The Venetian landscape "Punta della Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute, Venice" from 1853, despite its miniature size (17.8 × 14 cm), transports us to the city on water, which Aivazovsky first visited in 1840. Venice became a source of inspiration for the artist, a theme to which he returned repeatedly.

Joining them are two smaller but significant works that offer insight into the artist's creative method. "Sinking Ship in Stormy Waters" (1867), painted on board, and "Russian Steamship" (1875), depicting a vessel under the Russian flag, reveal under infrared light the characteristic preparatory charcoal drawing used by Aivazovsky to outline key details and the future contours of the waves.

Sotheby's November auction allows one to feel the breath of the elements, captured by a supreme master of his craft, and to become a part of art history.