BEGGROV ALEXANDER

NEOCLASSICAL PICTURE FRAME, 1900s

VERY RARE AND SIGNIFICANT NEOCLASSICAL PICTURE FRAME FROM 1900s

MANUFACTURED IN A WORKSHOP OF A. BEGGROV,

THE SUPPLIER OF THE COURT OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, PROBABLY FROM THE ANICHKOV PALACE

 

Frame dimensions:
Outside 68.5 x 52.5 cm
Inside 44.1 x 27.5 cm
Frame width 12.5 cm

 

Base: hardwood
Ornaments: birds, garland and small moulded ornaments around the perimeter
Coating: gold on levkas and white enamel on levkas

 

On the back of the frame, in addition to the label of A. Beggrov, there is a glued label with the number 204 on it.

Font of the inventory numbers of the Anichkov palace is the same as the font of the number 204.

 

CONDITION REPORT: The frame is in excellent condition.

 

A brief summary of the consultation with Oksana Lysenko, Senior researcher at the Department of picture frames at the State Russian museum, author of the book “Dress a painting. Picture frames in Russia XVIII – beginning of XX century”, St. Petersburg, 2005:
“Indeed, Your frame is neoclassical and it can be dated precisely. It is made in 1900s. The frame itself is very interesting. First of all, the fascination with neoclassicism in Russia was very short-termed and very few frames were made in that style and even fewer were preserved to the present day. They are extremely rare (if you have the catalogue to the exhibition “Dress the painting”, which I organized in Russian museum five years ago, you can look at two wonderful neoclassical frames under the numbers 81 and 82). Besides that, I have never seen a frame like yours in St. Petersburg nor in Tretyakov gallery in Moscow.
Finally, the fact that the Beggrov’s label is preserved on the frame is also quite outstanding.
A little about Beggrov. He owned a picture frame workshop in St. Petersburg, which was located on Nevsky Prospect, 4. The store was located at the same address. The production at the workshop was very diverse. Different frames were produced, with ornaments in different styles. The decorative coating of the frames was also diverse. The quality of production was very high and therefore it is not surprising that A. Beggrov had the right to call himself “The supplier of the Court of his Imperial Majesty”. This is the inscription that can be found on the labels of the Beggrov workshop: “Frame workshop of A. Beggrov” with the address, which is already known to you.
A. Beggrov’s buyers were collectors, artists, private owners, including the Imperial Court (this type of buyers is very characteristic for manufacturers of quality frames).
Neoclassical frames of the 1900s were made in style of classicism of the last third of XVIII century that were meant to decorate portraits. Therefore it is obvious that your frame possibly decorated (and most likely it did decorate) someone’s portrait. Judging by the ornament – flower garland, two birds – it decorated a portrait of a woman or a child. Judging by the decoration of your frame, it is quite possible that the frame decorated the interior of a palace. As for the green paper, which is glued to the back of the frame, judging by its condition as well as by the fact that the Beggrov’s label is glued on top of it (as a rule the owners did not care much about preserving labels of the workshops), this paper was glued by Beggrov.
Judging by the rabbet depth, this frame probably decorated a painting, pencil drawing or a photograph. The rectangular shape of the frame implies it probably decorated a full body portrait (or a certain scene).”

 

Price on request.

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