H.I.H OLGA ALEXANDROVNA

(Russian, 1882-1960)

Knudsminde Farm,

THE GARDEN IN SUMMER

Oil on Board

12¾ x 16 Inches

Signed Lower Right "Olga"

 Additionally inscribed in Danish, verso, 'Malet af Storfyrstinde Olga, Rusland der senere bosatte sig i Ballerup. Emma Davidsen'

(Painted by Grand Duchess Olga, of Russia who later settled in Ballerup. Emma Davidsen).

 

Daughter of Emperor Alexander III and sister to Tsar Nicholas II, Olga Alexandrovna overcame both privilege and tragedy to become an accomplished artist who exhibited with success worldwide. The recipient of numerous prizes and awards, Olga donated much of the proceeds of her sales to charity, preferring to give her work as gifts to close friends and to members of her extended family. Her cousin, the late Queen Elizabeth II, began her day with nine of Olga's paintings hanging in the breakfast-room at Sandringham.

 

We are pleased to offer this finely-painted botanical landscape that shows a corner of the garden at Knudsminde Farm, Olga's country home from 1930-1948. Beside a lilac-shadowed path, a profusion of brightly-hued Flanders poppies, cornflowers, white foxglove and gladioli rise towards a clouded, blue sky. This vibrant work offers an eloquent insight into the genteel and unhurried life which became Olga's after the fall of the Russian Royal Family.

 

Framed dimensions: 14½ x 1¼ x 17½ inches