Lot 85
  • 85

Stravinsky, Igor.

Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description

  • Autograph manuscript of four quotations from Petrushka signed and inscribed by the composer in Russian
  • ink on paper
"Sept. 1945. to my kind friend Liza Ivanich, in fond remembrance of Petrushka and its author, with warmest greetings on the day of her celebration, Igor Stravinsky" [translation], the music notated in brown ink on separate systems of three or four staves each, the hand-drawn staves ruled in blue ink with a wheeled rastrum, comprising four short quotations of up to eight bars each, from the opening Tableau, including themes for the Shrove-tide Fair, 1 page, comprising two wide strips of paper stuck together, long oblong (c.51 x 16cms), framed and glazed, some browning at margins, small stains from mounts, September 1945

Condition

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

This is a remarkable and graphically striking manuscript by Stravinsky, with well-known themes from one of his best-loved Diaghilev ballets.  Stravinsky has written the music on irregular combinations of stave-fragments, all drawn with a rastrum of his own devising, comprising five wheels.  The dedicatee is almost certainly Lisa Sokolov, who, at the end of August 1945, opened an art gallery with Vera Stravinsky on La Cienega Boulevard in Hollywood (see Stephen Walsh, Stravinsky: The Second Exile: France and America, 1934-1971 (2006), p.185).