34 - GLEB DERUJINSKY (RUSSIAN-AMERICAN 1888-1975)

GLEB DERUJINSKY (RUSSIAN-AMERICAN 1888-1975) Saint John the Divine, carved oak height: 69 cm (27 1/8 in.) signed on reverse PROVENANCE Collection of Boris Bakhmeteff (1880-1951), former Ambassador of the Russian Provisional government to the USA LITERATURE Illustrated in Gleb Deruzhinsky, 2002, page 7 LOT NOTES Born in Smolensk in 1888, Gleb Derujinsky studied law at St. Petersburg University while training as an artist. He went on to study sculpture in Paris under Verlet and Injalbert, entered the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1913, and was a candidate for the Prix de Rome when the Revolution broke out. He fled to the Crimea and then emigrated to New York in 1919. There he became known for portrait busts of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt and Rachmaninoff, the last winning the National Academy of Design's Anna Hyatt Huntington Prize in 1949. Religious carving in wood was a central part of his practice. His commissions included the Stations of the Cross for Cardinal Hayes Memorial Chapel (1942), four wood statues for the Church of the Assumption in Westport, Connecticut, and a wood crucifixion and Saint Joseph for St. Mary's Church in Flushing. The present figure shows his blend of naturalism and stylized drapery: the saint's face, beard and hair are deeply undercut, the robe is cut in crisp planar folds, and the hands are raised in an open, imploring gesture. Keywords: Russian-American Sculptor, Carved Wood Sculpture, Religious Sculpture, Saint John Figure, Art Deco Carving, National Academy Sculptor 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 & Appraisals LLC 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 & Appraisals, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.