Lot 25: Polychronis Lembessis (Greek, 1849-1913) Girl with the distaff and spindle 190 x 98 cm.

Girl with the distaff and spindle
signed in Greek (upper left)
oil on canvas
190 x 98 cm.

PROVENANCE:
Iliades Gallery, Athens.
Purchased from the above c. 1953 by the family of the present owner.

One of a handful of figurative works by Lembessis ever to appear in the auction market, Girl with distaff and spindle is a compelling work reflecting the artist's skill in combining academic representational conventions with a frank portrayal of the world around him. As noted by Dr. ?. Charalambidis, who specialises in portraiture, "Lembessis' female portraits, although considerably fewer than the male ones, are of exceptional quality." υ1 Here, a young woman is depicted in full length in a dark interior like an ancient Greek kore. Set against a barren backdrop of stark geometric forms, the female figure emerges full of life and vibrant plasticity. Focusing on essential traits rather than narrative elements, Lembessis rejects the clarity that is a hallmark of academic portraiture in favour of his interpretation of the figure that echoes Courbet's portraits from the 1840s: golden amber light imbedded in dark shadow. Moreover, the white creased shirt lends presence to the figure, while boldly contrasting with the dark woollen vest and the brown apron. (Compare G. Jakobides, Girl with distaff and spindle, 1876, Athens, National Gallery.) The figure's reserved countenance and introverted gaze seemingly focused on an inner vision -traits shared with other Lembessis works, such as Portrait of the artist's brother and The artist's niece both in the collection of the National Gallery in Athens- accentuate the monumental quality of this exceptional, large-scale piece.

In the seminal book Greek Painters of the Nineteenth Century published in 1957 by the Commercial Bank of Greece, author E. Frantziskakis argued that
"Polychronis Lembessis, a vigorous craftsman condemned to poverty and obscurity during his lifetime due to his lack of knowledge of the world, is today considered one of the most significant Greek painters of his time. His plastic power in rendering flesh and handling volume is often astonishing. His matter is full of the sap of life. He renders his people and objects with a fluency of brush that produces brilliant effects, and gives life and realism to his canvas, together with great beauty." υ2 As noted by former Athens National Gallery Director A. Ioannou, his quality as an artist is apparent particularly in his portraits, where with skill and psychological insight he succeeded in rendering his subject's personality. υ3 Moreover, Dr. Charalambidis claims that "Lembessis was one of the most accomplished portraitists of the Munich School. His works are undoubtedly at the forefront of Modern Greek portraiture, rightfully ranking him among the leading exponents of the Munich School and followers of the great 17th c. Dutch masters." υ4

υ1. A. Charalambidis, Greek Portraiture of the Nineteenth Century [in Greek], doctoral dissertation, Thessaloniki 1976, p. 93.
υ2. E. Frantziskakis, Greek Painters of the Nineteenth Century, Commercial Bank of Greece ed., Athens 1957, p.23.
υ3. A. Ioannou, Greek Painting, the 19th Century, Melissa publ., Athens 1974, p. 128.
υ4. Charalambidis, pp. 91, 95-96.