Lot description
JERZY KOSSAK (POLISH 1886-1955) Retreat from Moscow - Napoleon's Vision, 1947 oil on canvas 40 x 48.5 cm (15 3/4 x 19 1/8 in.) framed dimensions: 55 x 64 cm (21 5/8 x 25 1/4 in.) signed and dated lower left, the backing with several labels including a dedication PROVENANCE Property of a Lady, Chicago, Illinois CONDITION The painting has been trimmed and relined onto a secondary canvas. There is overall scattered and stable craquelure inherent to age. There are scattered minute circular areas of flaking to the upper half of the painting. Inspection under UV light shows old brushstrokes of retouching, primarily to the snow/white areas. Overall in stable, clean restored condition. LOT NOTES The vision of Napoleon retreating from Moscow is one of the most famous motifs in Jerzy Kossak's work. Jerzy Kossak began painting paintings dedicated to the Napoleonic epic around 1910. In the 1920s and 1930s, the best works from this series were created, large-format, original, independently composed according to his own ideas. The painting presented at the auction shows both Napoleon's great defeat in the expedition to Russia in 1812 (which was caused by the harsh Russian winter and the lack of preparation of French soldiers for these conditions), as well as the memory of the memorable Victory from the Battle of the Pyramids in 1798. "A vision of Napoleon retreating from Moscow with the head of the Sphinx reminiscent of the Egyptian victory of the "god of war", who now with his staff and against the background of the endless colonne mourante of his troops marches westward through a blizzard, broken by winter and frost. " (K. Olszanski, Jerzy Kossak, Wroclaw 1992, p. 18). Similar works have been preserved in numerous private collections and in the National Museums in Kraków and Warsaw. Keywords: Jerzy Kossak, Polish Painting, Polish art, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleonica, Kossak family 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.