The Capture of Shamil
Sotheby's 19th Century European Paintings including
German, Austrian & Central European Paintings, and
The Orientalist Sale
Sale: L07101 | Location: London
Auction Dates: Session 1: Wed, 27 Jun 07 10:00 AM
LOT 28
PROPERTY FROM A FRENCH PRIVATE COLLECTION
JOSEF BRANDT
POLISH, 1841-1928
THE CAPTURE OF A CAUCASIAN CHIEF
120,000—160,000 GBP
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 144,000 GBP
MEASUREMENTS
70 by 110.5 cm., 27½ by 43½in.
DESCRIPTION
signed and inscribed Jozef Brandt Monachum / Warszawy
l.l.
oil on canvas
PROVENANCE
Acquired by the great aunt of the present owner in the
1920s; thence by descent
CATALOGUE NOTE
For many generations hidden from public view in a French
collection, and believed to depict the capture of the
Caucasian chief Imam Shamil (1796-1871) by Cossack
mercenaries in the employ of Russia's Prince Bariatinski,
the appearance of this work at auction marks an exciting
rediscovery.
Brandt travelled to the Ukraine and Podole in 1860. The
beauty of the eastern marches left a lasting impression
on him, and the region subsequently became one of the
main settings for his paintings. In 1862 he moved to
Munich where he trained under the celebrated painter of
horses and armies, Franz Adam (1815-86), honing his
skills as a horse painter. Out of these two experiences
evolved Brandt's distinctive and dramatic subjects, which
won him international acclaim.
Shamil, third Imam of Dagestan and Chechnya, was the
leader of the Muslim tribes of the Northern Caucasus,
driving the resistance against the Russians in the
Caucasian War. At one point his followers numbered some
four thousand men, women, and children. After numerous
battles and skirmishes, on August 25, 1859, Shamil and
his family finally surrendered to Russian forces. Shamil
was sent to St Petersburg for an audience with the Tsar
before being exiled to Kaluga, a small town near Moscow.
In 1869 he was given permission to retire to the holy
city of Mecca. He died in Medina in 1871.
Shamil continues to be revered in the Caucasus for his
resistance to the Russians. It is likely that Brandt
chose to depict this subject to draw attention to the
parallels between Poland's and Chechnia's respective
struggles for independence from Russia.
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