POSTCARDS

BAKST, Leon [Lev Samoilovich Rosenberg] (1866-1924). and CHEKHONIN, Sergei Vasilevich (1878-1936).

Mir iskusstva [World of Art] postcards. A group of 6 postcards of various subjects by L. Bakst, issued to benefit the St. Evgenya Red Cross Society and lithographed in color and black and white by Golike and Wilborg, St. Petersburg. Each 140 x 95 mm. Condition: unused postcards with wear and soiling. includes three costume designs for the ballet "Carnival" [With:] 4 postcards of portraits and a still life by S. V.CHEKHONINE, the majority issued to benefit the St. Evgenya Red Cross Society and lithographed in color by Golike and Wilborg, St. Petersburg. Each 140 x 95 mm. Condition: unused postcards with minor wear and soiling. They Include a portrait of Maxim Gorky. (10).

BENOIS, Alexandre [Aleksandr Nikolaevich Benua] (1870-1960).

Igrushki [Toys]. A collection of 10 postcards of Russian folk toys, issued to benefit the St. Evgenya Red Cross Society and lithographed in color by N. Kadushin, St. Petersburg, 1905. Each 140 x 95 mm. Condition: unused postcards with minor wear and soiling. Among his many other interests, Benois was a passionate collector of hand-made folk toys. He began buying them in the 1890s and soon became one of the leading experts in the field. Bakst studied Benois toys when he was working on his costume designs for the 1903 ballet Feya kukol [The Doll Fairy]. Benois encouraged Georgii Narbut to collect them too; and Benois’ collection inspired Narbut’s two picture books called Igrushki (1910). The first volume was appropriately dedicated to Benois. (10).

LANCERAY, Eugene [Evgeni Evgenievich Lansere] (1875–1946)

Landscapes and architecture. A group of 9 postcards of landscapes and architecture, most issued to benefit the St. Evgenya Red Cross Society and lithographed in color by A. Ilin, Golike and Wilborg and others. Each 90 x 140 mm. Condition: only two were used; some wear and soiling. Laceray was a prominent member of the Mir Iskusstva [World of Art] group. He especially liked the roccoco and often painted 18th century subjects. (9).

NESTEROV, Mikhail Vasilyevich (1862-1942), Georgii Ivanovich NARBUT (1886-1920) and Boris Vasilevich ZVORYKIN [Boris Zworykine] (1872 -1935).

Assorted postcards. A group of 5 postcards of rural figure studies by M. V. Nesterov, issued to benefit the St. Evgenya Red Cross Society and lithographed in color or black and white by Golike and Wilborg and other printers. Each 140 x 95 mm. Condition: unused postcards with minor wear and soiling. [Together with 2 other postcard sets:] 4 postcards of various subjects by G. I. Narbut, issued to benefit the St. Evgenya Red Cross Society and lithographed in color by Golike and Wilborg and other printers. Each 140 x 95 mm. Condition: three used and one trimmed; wear and soiling. 3 postcards of medieval Russian types by B. V. Zvorikin, lithographed in color by Granberg, Sweden. Each 140 x 95 mm. Condition: unused postcards with minor wear and soiling. (12).

OSTROUMOVA-LEBEDEVA, Anna Petrovna (1871-1955).

St. Petersburg, Pavlosk and other scenery. A group of 18 postcards, most issued to benefit the St. Evgenya Red Cross Society and lithographed in color by either N. Kudushina or Golike and Wilborg, St. Petersburg. Each 90 x 140 mm. Condition: all but two remain unused; some wear and soiling. Included is one postcard of a child in a garden.
A. P. Ostroumova-Lebedeva studied in Russia with Ilya Repin and worked in the studio of James McNeill Whistler in Paris. It was while learning watercolor technique with Leon Bakst that she became a member of the Mir Iskusstva [World of Art] group. She never worked in oil due to an allergy, but she became a gifted printmaker and is best remembered for her panoramic studies of St. Petersburg. (18).

Three Postcards. Gouache of Suprematist persons painted on a postcard, circa 1920. (140 x 90 mm). Provenance: Puni archive with artist’s personal stamp on verso;

Three Postcards. Gouache of Suprematist persons painted on a postcard, circa 1920. (140 x 90 mm). Provenance: Puni archive with artist’s personal stamp on verso;

Three Postcards. Gouache of Suprematist persons painted on a postcard, circa 1920. (140 x 90 mm). Provenance: Puni archive with artist’s personal stamp on verso;

IVAN BILIBIN - ORIGINAL DRAWING

Drawing for a postcard, watercolor on paper, signed with initials upper left, 3x4".
Exhibited: “Ivan Bilibine, Exposition”, Alexandrie, December, 1924 (label on the back).

MIKHAIL LARIONOV - ORIGINAL DRAWING

Etude rayonniste pour un danseur en mouvement, draft for a postcard, pencil and watercolor on card, 4x6 inches. Compare: larger version of the same drawing at Sotheby's London 18 July 1968 lot 124 (illustrated in the catalog) Provenance: bears stamp “Atelier M. Larionov” on the back; Alexandra Tomilina - Larionov (Larionov's second wife)