The letter was written by Valery Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky to his brother Veniamin from the Finnish town of Imatra to St. Petersburg. The text on the back of the postcard mentioned a close acquaintance of their father, Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, Vasily Shavinsky by saying '"Please let me know Shavinsky’s overseas address, if you know, as well as the address of Seryozha Sabler, Sergievskaya Street, no.? I have not been fishing yet. July 2, 1911. Yours V. Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky”.
Vasily Shavinsky (1868-1924) was a chemical technologist, art critic and collector. A common interest in the works of Dutch and Flemish artists brought together him and Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky. In this area of collecting, the geographer was considered an expert of the European level, and so was his acquaintance.
Shavinsky began collecting the works of Dutch artists in 1896. He was interested in techniques and ways of creating paintings as well as in the Western European art history. In 1908-1916 he wrote several articles about the art in the Netherlands and techniques of the ancient Russian art and published them in the journal called “The Old Years”
His best known articles were “On the materials of an ancient painting” (1908) and “On the restoration of Hermitage paintings” (1915). The work “Essays on painting technique history and paint technology in Ancient Russia” were published posthumously.
By 1917 Shavinsky’s collection, according to a catalogue issued in Petrograd, contained 150 paintings. In 1914 he was one of the organizers of the exhibition ‘The art of the allied peoples’ where some of the paintings from his collection were exhibited. Shavinsky bequeathed his collection of paintings to Kiev art patron Bogdan Khanenko.
The collector was killed by street hooligans on December 27, 1924 and buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg. After his tragic death, the widow, as indicated in the will, transferred the collection to the Kiev Museum of Art. The collection of Shavinsky mainly contained works of Dutch and Flemish artists.
Vasily Shavinsky (1868-1924) was a chemical technologist, art critic and collector. A common interest in the works of Dutch and Flemish artists brought together him and Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky. In this area of collecting, the geographer was considered an expert of the European level, and so was his acquaintance.
Shavinsky began collecting the works of Dutch artists in 1896. He was interested in techniques and ways of creating paintings as well as in the Western European art history. In 1908-1916 he wrote several articles about the art in the Netherlands and techniques of the ancient Russian art and published them in the journal called “The Old Years”
His best known articles were “On the materials of an ancient painting” (1908) and “On the restoration of Hermitage paintings” (1915). The work “Essays on painting technique history and paint technology in Ancient Russia” were published posthumously.
By 1917 Shavinsky’s collection, according to a catalogue issued in Petrograd, contained 150 paintings. In 1914 he was one of the organizers of the exhibition ‘The art of the allied peoples’ where some of the paintings from his collection were exhibited. Shavinsky bequeathed his collection of paintings to Kiev art patron Bogdan Khanenko.
The collector was killed by street hooligans on December 27, 1924 and buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg. After his tragic death, the widow, as indicated in the will, transferred the collection to the Kiev Museum of Art. The collection of Shavinsky mainly contained works of Dutch and Flemish artists.
