Konstantin Somov’s Painting “Non-Existent Porcelain”: Its Conception and Sources

The article discusses the history and existence of Konstantin Somov’s painting “Non-Existent Porcelain”: The relevance of the topic is determined by the fact that the “Non-Existent Porcelain” for the first time becomes an object of study as a painting and a collectible. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that it attempts to identify the artistic sources of this work (Titian, engravings from his painting “Venus with a Mirror”) and examines the attitude of K.A. Somov to this master artist. The author uses the method of complex analysis, combining a source analysis of K.A. Somov’s diaries and letters, and a traditional formal analysis of his painting “Non-Existent Porcelain” in comparison with the painting of Titian and engravings from it. The article traces the painting’s creation, identifies the sources from the creative heritage of the artist and European art. There are analyzed the artistic features of the painting, the period when it was in V.N. Gordin’s ownership and in the collection of E.A. Gunst. This study allows to expand the existing ideas about the artist’s visual sources of creativity.

The article reveals that Titian’s painting “Venus with a Mirror” served as a source of the figure of a naked bather in the painting “Non-Existent Porcelain”. A hypothesis has also been put forward on the artist’s likely appeal to contre-épreuve reproductions of European masters of the 18th — 19th centuries from this painting, primarily the engravings of Johann Friedrich Leybold. The author concludes that K.A. Somov’s working over the painting “Non-Existent Porcelain” was in line with his working with a variety of sources from the heritage of European art, including his search for sources for depiction of nudity.

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