Grigori GAGARINE (Saint Petersburg 1810 - Chatellerault 1893) Cossacks bivouacking in the Caucasus at the foot of Mount Elbrus Watercolor on black pencil lines Slightly insulated, small stains Handwritten annotation on the back in Russian: "I certify that the present watercolor "Caucasian landscape represents an authentic work of a great Russian artist G.G.Gagarina (1810-1893), Alexander Benois, Paris, 1948". 17.3x31 cm Provenance : Perhaps former collection Alexandre Benois Grigori Gagarin was a Russian prince, officer, diplomat, patron of the arts, and above all a painter at the court of His Imperial Majesty. He was part of Prince Chernichiov's expedition to Dagestan where he served in the dragoons until 1848. His bravery earned him decorations and the rank of cavalry captain, then colonel. Our drawing may have belonged according to Alexandre Benois, (Saint Petersburg 1870 - Paris 1960), also a great Russian artist, best known for his sets and costumes for the Opera and the French Comedy. He left Russia for good in 1926 and settled in Paris where he died.