Lot 7: Wladyslaw Czachorski , Polish 1850-1911 The Letter oil on canvas

signed Czachorski and dated 1896 (lower left) oil on canvas

measurements 18 3/4 by 27 1/2 in. alternate measurements 47.5 by 70 cm

David Findlay Galleries, New York
Cooling Galleries, Toronto

Painted in 1896. Wladyslaw Czachorski's artistic training began at the age of sixteen when he enrolled at the Warsaw Drawing School. He then studied for a year at the Dresden Academy, and finally joined the Munich Academy, where he spent five years under the direction of Hermann Anschutz, Alexander Wagner and Karl von Piloty. He won the prestigious Grand Silver Medal upon graduation, and proceeded to travel throughout Europe, visiting France, Italy and Poland. In 1879, he settled permanently in Munich, but continued to exhibit frequently in Poland, in particular Warsaw, Krakow, Lwow and Lodz. When Czachorski died in 1911, an exhibition of his work was held that year at the Zacheta Society of Fine Arts in Warsaw (The Kosciuszko Foundation, www.kosciuszkofoundation.org). Czarchorski's choice of subject ranged from still lifes to Shakespearian scenes, however he is best known for his finely-painted depictions of beautiful aristocratic women in lavishly appointed interiors. In The Letter, Czachorski features a well-dressed young woman seated in a French Louis XVI style chair, holding a letter in one hand and a small bouquet of flowers in her lap. The subject of a young woman reading a letter, perhaps most famously portrayed by seventeenth century Dutch master Jan Vermeer, has held great appeal for artists throughout history. Through the power of suggestion, the viewer feels witness to the exchange of intimate correspondence between the sender and the recipient. Here, the young woman displays a charming innocence; a sweet smile plays upon her lips. The variety of fabrics in the room - from her pink satin embroidered dress, to the burgundy and navy oriental rug on the table - characterize the eclecticism prevalent in interior decoration during this era. No one furniture style was dominant, and rooms overflowed with accoutrements intended as social signifiers to communicate the owner's refined taste and worldliness.