Natalia Sergueïevna GONTCHAROVA (1881-1962) The Enchanted Forest , or Composition n° 12 . Gouache on paper. Signed lower right. H. 33 x W. 24.5 cm (as seen) Provenance: Estate of Professor Xénia Muratova. History: Xénia Muratova (Moscow, 1940 Paris, 2019), great-niece and heiress of Pavel Muratov, was Professor of Medieval Art History at the University of Rennes II. She studied at Moscow University under Professor Victor Lazarev. She began her professional career in Rome in the 1970s, then moved to Germany before settling in Paris. His grandfather Vladimir Muratov (1868-1934) was Commander-in-Chief of the Sevastopol fortress staff between 1910 and 1915, and brother of Pavel Muratov (1881-1950). In 1922, before leaving Russia for good, Pavel Muratov left some of his belongings in his Moscow apartment, which had been preserved by the family. After the death of Xénia Muratova's parents in 1987, she had to bequeath several important works to the Museum of Private Collections in Moscow and a group of furniture and objects to the Moscow Historical Museum; these bequests enabled Xénia Muratova to bring what remained of her family heritage to Paris.