DOBUZHINSKIY, M.V. (1875–1957) Slovo o polku Igoreve ['The Tale of Igor’s Campaign']; translated by G. Golokhvastov, illustrated by M. Dobuzhinskiy. New York: Izd. ‘Novogo zhurnala’, 1950 [1951].

76, [2], XVI, [2] pp.: ill.; 19 × 13.5 cm. Illustrations hand-coloured in watercolour by M. Dobuzhinskiy. On the verso of the title, beneath the imprint, a pencil inscription by the artist: ‘No. 8 Colored by M Dobujinsky 1951’. Publisher’s illustrated wrappers. Very good condition. Minor foxing. The illustrations form a little-known graphic cycle by Mstislav Dobuzhinskiy, created in London in 1947, three years before the publication of the book. The translation from Old Russian was made by the émigré poet Georgiy Vladimirovich Golokhvastov (1882–1963). In his work diary, Dobuzhinskiy recorded that, while in Rome, on 22–25 and 31 May 1954, he hand-coloured three copies of ‘Slovo o polku Igoreve’. Their present whereabouts are unknown (see: Chugunov G.I., ‘Graficheskiy tsikl M.V. Dobuzhinskogo k 'Slovu o polku Igoreve'’, in Issledovaniya ‘Slova o polku Igoreve’, Leningrad: Nauka, 1986, pp. 229–247). A unique copy with the artist’s hand-coloured illustrations, one of two known copies signed and numbered by the artist, and one of four known coloured copies. Accompanied by an expert certificate from the P.I. Tretyakov Art Expertise Centre (signed by O.S. Glebova). Provenance: From the collection of Boris Aleksandrovich Bakhmet’ev (1880–1951), Russian and later American (from 1934) hydrodynamics scholar, political and public figure, and ambassador of Russia to the United States, whom the artist met while living in America.