DMITRI STELLETSKY (1875-1947) Composition with an Easter egg Letter written in ink by Dmitri Steletsky to Sofia Leonidovna. La Napoule, 31 March 1942 (on verso) Long dedication in Cyrillic to Sofia Leonidovna (verso) pencil, gouache and watercolour on paper 41 x 24.4 cm Provenance : Baroness Sophia Leonidovna Bark, Von Ber (1867-1957), wife of the last Finance Minister of the Russian Empire, Piotr Lvovitch Bark (1869-1937) Handwritten letter in Cyrillic from Dimitri Stelletsky to Sofia Leonidovna Bark, dated 31 March 1942 and sent from La Napoule, during the occupation of southern France: 'Khristos Voskrese' [Christ is risen]. Dear Sofia Leonidovna, I send you and your dear family my best wishes for the great feast of Easter... Easter is here again, and this time, in my life, without a red egg, without a slice of kulitch and without a crumb of cottage cheese Easter cake! But tomorrow I'm off to Cannes, where I'll be staying on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday - so I'll be present at all the Easter services at the church (...) D. Stelletsky ' At the buyer's request, we will be happy to provide a general report on the condition of the lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise prospective buyers to carry out their own inspection or to consult a specialist of their choice for a full assessment of the condition of the lot. Descriptions of items provided in the catalogue or by correspondence are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as a definitive assessment. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD 'AS IS' IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.