Lot 109: JOHANN K??LER

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, CANADA 1826 - 1899 PORTRAIT OF A LADY signed and inscribed Viljandi in Cyrillic and dated 1876 l.r. oil on canvas 58.5 by 52cm, 23 by 20 1/2 in.

Antoni Ghillis, Russia Thence by descent to the present owner

Johann Köler is considered one of the most important Estonian painters of the 19th century, and is known especially for his exquisite portraiture. Born in Viljandi, Estonia, he travelled to St. Petersburg in 1846 and was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts. Upon finishing his studies, Köler travelled extensively throughout Europe, but returned to Russia in 1861 in order to become the drawing tutor of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Czar Alexander II. This lot is believed to have been in the possession of the writer Leo Tolstoy before entering the collection of his administrator, Antoni Ghillis.