Nicolas SWERTSCHKOFF (1817-1898)
Return from the hunt
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated 1887 lower right
48 x 73 cm
Son of the great steward of the royal stables, Nicolas Swertschkoff observed and painted horses since his
childhood. As a young painter and hunting enthusiast, he spent his summers on his friends' estates hunting and observing
peasants. Swertschkoff's works - especially his "horse portraits" - have left their mark on Russian art with their
realism and treatment of animals.
In the 1860s Swertschkoff lived in France and took part in the Parisian exhibitions. During an exhibition
in 1863, Napoleon III bought his painting Return from the Bear Hunt.
The painting presented at the auction was painted in 1887 when Nicolas Swertschkoff was recognized in Russia and worked regularly for the imperial family (the
regularly for the imperial family (he was already the author of the famous portrait of Nicholas I in a sleigh).
Return from the Hunt is simple and very realistic; it represents a scene from the life of a young peasant returning from his usual hunt for foxes and
from his usual hunt for foxes and rabbits with his old horse and a greyhound belonging to his master. Each character
is very detailed and representative of the art of this painter.
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