We don’t have an image of this object online yet. V&A Images may have a photograph that we can’t show online, but it may be possible to supply one to you. Email us at vaimages@vam.ac.uk for guidance about fees and timescales, quoting the accession number: E.899-1961
Find out about our images

Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level D , Case 94, Shelf D, Box 72

Sketchbook, Paris

Sketchbook
ca. 1916-1922 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Full red cloth case binding containing 14 sheets of slightly bluish paper with drawings in black chalk and some in lilac ink adhered to textblock pages.
Contents: p. 1: Portrait of a man holding a cigarette; p. 2: Officer in profile; p. 3: Portrait of a man in military uniform with decoration; p. 4: Portrait of a man in military uniform with decoration; p. 5: Sketch of a woman in Spanish costume; p. 6: Sketch of a woman rapped in a shawl; p. 7: Woman in Spanish costume with a house and tree in the background; p. 8: Rough sketch of a head in cubist style; p. 9: Woman in Spanish costume, with abbreviated notes on the colours in Russian; p. 10: Woman in Spanish costume; p. 11: Seated woman in profile with the Eiffel Tower and a tree in the background; p. 12: Sketch of the Eiffel Tower; p. 13: Portrait of a man [Vladimir Mayakovaky] with the Eiffel Tower in the background; p. 14: Town landscape with a bridge.
All drawings are in black chalk, except the drawings on pp. 5-7 which are in brush with lilac ink.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSketchbook, Paris (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Black chalk and brush with lilac ink
Brief description
Sketchbook, Paris, by Natalia Goncharova, black chalk and lilac ink, ca. 1916-22
Physical description
Full red cloth case binding containing 14 sheets of slightly bluish paper with drawings in black chalk and some in lilac ink adhered to textblock pages.
Contents: p. 1: Portrait of a man holding a cigarette; p. 2: Officer in profile; p. 3: Portrait of a man in military uniform with decoration; p. 4: Portrait of a man in military uniform with decoration; p. 5: Sketch of a woman in Spanish costume; p. 6: Sketch of a woman rapped in a shawl; p. 7: Woman in Spanish costume with a house and tree in the background; p. 8: Rough sketch of a head in cubist style; p. 9: Woman in Spanish costume, with abbreviated notes on the colours in Russian; p. 10: Woman in Spanish costume; p. 11: Seated woman in profile with the Eiffel Tower and a tree in the background; p. 12: Sketch of the Eiffel Tower; p. 13: Portrait of a man [Vladimir Mayakovaky] with the Eiffel Tower in the background; p. 14: Town landscape with a bridge.
All drawings are in black chalk, except the drawings on pp. 5-7 which are in brush with lilac ink.
Dimensions
  • Length of book length: 342mm (Book closed) (Note: Measured in Book Conservation measuring box)
  • Width: 282mm (Book closed) (Note: Measured in Book Conservation measuring box)
  • Depth: 12mm (Book closed) (Note: Measured in Book Conservation measuring box)
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • p. 12: Gontcharowa (Signed in black chalk.)
  • p. 13: H, N. Gontcharowa (Signed twice: Goncharova's first initial in Russian and in Latin script.)
    Translation
    'N'
  • p. 14: H (Signed in black chalk with Goncharova's first initial in Russian script.)
    Translation
    'N'
Object history
The drawings on pages 1-4 appear to represent the poet Nikolay Gumilev (1886-1921) who served in the French army in 1917 and when staying in Paris during this period was a frequent guest of Goncharova and Larionov. A portrait drawing of him similar to these sketches but made by Larionov apparently at the same time is reproduced in T. Loguine, Gontcharova et Larionov, fig. 10. This suggests 1917-18 as the date for the sketch-book as a whole.
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Salmina-Haskell, L., Catalogue of Russian Drawings, London: V & A, 1972, p. 21, cat. 66.
Collection
Accession number
E.899-1961

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 26, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSON