This sketchbox easel is believed to have belonged to the Chekhov family on the side of Mikhail Chekhov, the writer’s younger brother. The rectangular wooden box with a leather handle is painted dark green; the lid folds compactly with the help of hinges.
The love of fine art was shared by many members of the Chekhov family. Anton Chekhov’s first illustrator was his older brother, Nikolay Chekhov, who graduated from the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture where he studied with Isaac Levitan and Konstantin Korovin. The writer’s younger sister Maria Chekhova also was a talented painter. She studied at the Stroganov School, and later at Alexandra Khotyaintseva’s private studio under the guidance of Valentin Serov.
Sergey Mikhailovich Chekhov, the writer’s nephew, was a Soviet graphic artist and graduate of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He worked as a scenic designer and was a head lecturer at the Stage Production Department of the Moscow Art Theater School. Sergey Chekhov designed over 130 books, including “The Genealogy of Anton Chekhov”, “Through the Chekhov’s Places of the Moscow Region”, and “Melikhovo”.
His son, Sergey Sergeyevich, started drawing and painting under his father’s guidance when he was a child. He graduated from the Moscow Art School and later from the Department of Monumental Art at the Surikov Institute. Sergey Sergeyevich Chekhov worked in the techniques of linocut and etching but became particularly famous as a muralist.
A sketchbox is a portable field easel, often supported by a tripod, with a special compartment to store art supplies and an easel to place the canvas. Its history goes back to the mid-19th century when paint tubes were invented which were convenient to bring along. As a result, artists were free to leave their workshops and paint en plein air. This phrase originated from the French language and means “outdoors”.
The Russian word “etyudnik” meaning “a sketchbox easel” also came from the French language, namely, from the word “étude” which means “a study” or “a lesson”. A study is usually a small drawing, a preparatory sketch drawn from life. There are several types of sketchbox designs: a pencil case, a tripod-mounted box, and a French easel. Nowadays, artists continue to use all types of sketchbox easels.
