LERMONTOV, M. (1814–1841) AND PRINCE DOLGOROUKOV, N.A. (1792–1847) Theresa von Klupffell. Landscape, c. 1840 Watercolour on paper, mounted on paper. 8 x 15 cm; sheet 19.2 x 24 cm. Inscription in German: ‘Gezeichnet von Fraulein Theresa von Klupffell’. On the reverse, Lermontov’s poem ‘Molitva’ [Prayer] (‘In life’s difficult moments...’). Inscription in French in the left-hand margin: ‘Souvenir du prince Nicolas Dolgorouky 1842’. The poem ‘Prayer’ was written by Lermontov in 1839 and published for the first time after his death, in 1842. In 1842, a tragic event befell Prince Dolgorukov (1792–1847), General Aide-de-Camp and Governor-General of Lithuania and Little Russia: his son Alexander Dolgorukov (1819–1842), an officer in the Guard Hussars regiment and a comrade-in-arms of Lermontov, was killed in a duel. Dolgorukov and Lermontov were close friends. Both were members of the St Petersburg circle known as ‘The Sixteen’ and took part in the Caucasian expeditions of 1840; Alexander Dolgorukov met Lermontov in Pyatigorsk during the final months of the poet’s life. Albums of Dolgorukov’s drawings, on which Lermontov wrote inscriptions in verse, have been preserved. In the final year of his life, Dolgorukov served at Tsarskoye Selo. From the early 1840s, the family of General V.F. Klupffell (1796–1885), director of the Pavlovsk Cadet Corps, lived in Pavlovsk. At the buyer’s request, we shall 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 potential buyers to carry out their own inspection or to consult a specialist of their choice to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the lot’s condition. Descriptions of items provided in the catalogue or by correspondence are for information purposes only and should not be regarded as a definitive assessment. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION REGARDING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.