KONSTANTIN GORBATOV (RUSSIAN 1876-1945) Posillipo, Naples, 1926 oil on canvas 82 x 101 cm (32 1/4 x 39 3/4 in.) signed and dated lower left PROVENANCE Purchased by Laura Scudder, La Habra Heights, California, circa 1930s-40s Thence by descent to Mark Scudder (1943-2017), Grandson of Laura Scudder LOT NOTES The painting is recorded in the database of the Gorbatov catalogue raisonné, currently being prepared by Dr. Olga Sugrobova-Roth. Of the many landscapes painted by Post-Impressionist Konstantin Gorbatov, two kinds stand out above the rest: the crisp cool-toned Russian winter scenes of his earlier career, and his equally vibrant Italian coastal scenes. Gorbatov’s love for Italy began early: he first visited Rome in 1912 thanks to a grant from the Imperial Arts Academy (where he was a student in 1905-1911), and saw Capri soon after, at the invitation of Maxim Gorky. He would continue working in Europe as well as Russia until the Revolution, after which he made the move to Capri, an island in the Gulf of Naples (1922). Through in 1926 he relocated Berlin, which remained his primary residence until the end of his life, Gorbatov visited Italy yearly, and the area left an indelible mark on his oeuvre. The Neapolitan coast depicted in the present work, with the unmistakable translucence of its azure waters and equally iconic terracotta- and sand-colored buildings — dates precisely to the end of the painter’s four-year stay on Capri. This very composition evidently proved memorable for Gorbatov, who repeated it some eight years later, in 1934. A stunning, fresh-to-market example of the painter’s early Italian period, Posillipo, Naples marks the painter’s development as one of the greatest landscape artists of the century. CONDITION Observed in frame, the work is in excellent original condition. Beyond light surface soiling and fine age-appropriate vertical craquelure, no issues to report. Inspection under UV light shows no apparent signs of restoration. N.B. 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.