Description:

IVAN YAKOVLEVICH BILIBIN (RUSSIAN 1876-1942)
A Painted Canvas Three-Panel Screen illustrating Tsarevich Ivan, The Firebird, and the Gray Wolf, ca. 1924
oil on canvas (3) within a wooden screen
overall height: 150 cm (59 in.); overall width: 144 cm (56 3/4 in.); each canvas: 112.5 x 41 cm (44 1/4 x 16 1/8 in.)

each canvas signed on the bottom

PROVENANCE
Estate of Georges Cordahi, Alexandria, Egypt
Private Collection, Switzerland

RELATED LITERATURE
I. Ja. Bilibin v Egipte 1920-1925: Pis'ma, dokumenty i materialy, Moscow: Dom Russkogo Zarubezh'ja ; Russkij put', 2009

LOT NOTES
Ivan Bilibin, seeking refuge from the Russian Civil War, was evacuated on the steamship Saratov in February 1920, from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, along with 1500 other White Russian refugees. After the ship was unable to offload many of its passengers in Constantinople, it sailed to Egypt. Originally placed in a refugee camp in Et-Tel-el-Kebir by the British authorities, by May 1920, Bilibin had moved to Cairo. By 1924, Bilibin had moved to Alexandria from Cairo with his wife, Aleksandra Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya, the painter and porcelain artist. They married in Cairo in 1923. While in Egypt, Bilibin continued to be active as an artist, creating drawings, theatre decorations, and working closely with the Lebanese Greek Orthodox community, decorating private mansions and churches. His exhibition opening in 1924 further attests to his engagement with the city and the community. He would even paint theatrical designs for Anna Pavlova's ballet company when they visited Egypt. An exposition of Bilibin's works was held in Alexandria in December 1924, shortly before leaving for France with his family in 1925.

This screen was acquired from the Estate of Georges Cordahi, a prominent member of Alexandria's Greek-Orthodox community, of Syrian-Lebanese origin. Known as the "King of the Stock Exchange," he was also a cotton merchant and developer, and had an important role in the development of the city's central district, and his name is associated with prominent buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that blended Eclectic Revival and Art Deco styles. He commissioned significant architectural projects, amongst them the Cordahi Building (1921-1928). The Cordahi Palace, in the Kafr Abdou district of Alexadria, also bears his name and speaks to his revivalist style. Cordahi was instrumental in funding major cultural institutions, including the Mohamed-Ali Theatre (now Sayed-Darwish), and maintained strong ties to both local elites and émigré communities.

Ivan Bilibin originally painted Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf in 1899 as part of his celebrated series of illustrations for Russian folk and fairy tales, commissioned by the Imperial Russian publishing house Expedition for the Preparation of State Papers. A leading member of the Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”) movement founded by Sergei Diaghilev, Bilibin quickly established himself as the foremost interpreter of Slavic folklore through his distinctive fusion of medieval Russian ornament, stylized line, and the decorative principles of Art Nouveau. This work illustrates one of the most beloved Russian tales, depicting the moment when Tsarevich Ivan, aided by the magical Gray Wolf, pursues the luminous Firebird. Bilibin’s bold outlines, flattened perspective, and ornamental detail evoke both manuscript illumination and folk woodcuts, while his rhythmic patterns and sense of drama reflect the modernist spirit of turn-of-the-century St. Petersburg.

The illustration was first published in 1899 in Bilibin’s Skazki (Fairy Tales), a landmark edition that brought him immediate acclaim and was widely circulated both in Russia and abroad. His fairy tale illustrations were later exhibited internationally, including in Paris and Munich, through Diaghilev’s World of Art exhibitions, further cementing his reputation. It is not surprising that he would choose one of his most iconic images, for a work commissioned by one of the most prominent cultural figures of Alexandria.

CONDITION
The work is in good condition, the back boards are nailed to the canvas stretcher. The canvases are stable and in good condition, with slight looseness and some stretcher marks. Scattered stable craquelure. UV light inspection shows scattered retouching to the three canvases, approximately 15% of the surface area. Light varnish.

N.B. Condition reports are available upon request. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

Keywords: Russian Painting, Russia art, Mir Iskusstva, World of Art, Illustration, Fairy Tales

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