Autograph letter signed ("A. Peshkov") .
4to. 1 page. With autogr. envelope. In Russian.
€ 9,500.00
To the Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov, asking to be allowed to make a copy of Vasentsov's "Virgin and Child" and mentioning a visit with Chekhov: "A friend of mine who has recently buried his wife would like to place in a chapel above her grave a copy of your 'Madonna and Child'. Be so kind as to tell me - is it possible to copy it? Could you possibly recommend one of your students, a person who is more able than the others to convey the beauty and soul of the original? How much, approximately, would such a copy cost - a copy the size of a human height or a bit smaller? Also, can a painting in oil retain its original integrity in a cold chapel? For answer to all of the questions - two of which are foolish, I presume - I will come to you around the 26th or 27th, and most definitely with Anton Pavlovich [Chekhov] [...]" (transl.).
Viktor Vasnetsov was a celebrated artist, particularly for mythological and historical subjects. In his later career he was responsible for a number of fresco cycles in churches, including in St Vladimir's Cathedral in Kiev and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Warsaw. Only two letters from Gorky to Vasenetsov are known.
In perfect condition.
