Antique Folk Art Print Pair, Giltwood Frames, c.1890

Details

Description

…. Imperial Russian chromolithographs, circa 1880–1900 | Hand-lettered Cyrillic folk proverbs | Acquired from a diplomat's estate, East Hampton, NY … Read more …. Imperial Russian chromolithographs, circa 1880–1900 | Hand-lettered Cyrillic folk proverbs | Acquired from a diplomat's estate, East Hampton, NY | Original matching gilt rope-twist frames | 9.5" × 12.5" each
The Story These Walls Could Tell
Someone brought these home from Russia. That much is certain. Acquired from the East Hampton estate of an American diplomat, these two Imperial Russian chromolithographs carry the quiet authority of objects that crossed an ocean in the company of someone who knew exactly what they were looking at. They hung together then. They should hang together now.
The Prints
The first depicts a couple in traditional Russian winter dress — fur-trimmed coats, tall papakha hats — set against a spare wintry landscape. The hand-lettered Cyrillic below reads: Муж да жена – одна душа (но не всегда!) — "Husband and wife are one soul... but not always." The wit is thoroughly, unmistakably Russian.
The second is the more beguiling of the pair: a young girl in a kokoshnik headdress peers shyly around a doorframe, caught in a moment of charming hesitation. Her inscription reads: Хлеба-соли откушать, Нашу речь послушать — "Come taste our bread and salt, and hear our words" — the timeless Russian gesture of welcome. A period artist's signature is visible in the lower left.
Why This Pair Is Exceptional
Matched pairs of this type — same series, same original frames, same provenance — almost never survive intact. Frames get swapped, prints get separated, stories get lost. These have all three.
Details
Medium: Chromolithograph on paper
Period: Late Imperial Russia, circa 1880–1900
Frame: Original matching gilt rope-and-bead molding
Original glass and backing retained
Dimensions: 9.5" W × 12.5" H each, framed
Condition: Good antique condition with beautiful age patina
Provenance: Diplomat's estate, East Hampton, New York
Sold as a pair only
"Antiques are not merely objects; they are the soul of a home, whispering stories of those who came before us." — GentlemanlyPursuits, Montgomery, VT See less