Portrait of a WW2 Soviet NCO, in pencil, circa 1940s.
Large format, measuring 13½" x 19", on sketchpad paper. The drawing presents a WW2 Soviet NCO (sr. sergeant, if the artist was precise in imaging the shoulder boards) at rest, wearing the trademark Soviet pilotka side cap. The drawing is unsigned under the image but the verso has two inscriptions, "Леонов И.В." (Leonov I.V.) and "Выборгск ДК" (Vyborg DK). The first inscription is the name of the artist, I. Leonov. The second one must be the place where the drawing was made,
Large format, measuring 13½" x 19", on sketchpad paper. The drawing presents a WW2 Soviet NCO (sr. sergeant, if the artist was precise in imaging the shoulder boards) at rest, wearing the trademark Soviet pilotka side cap. The drawing is unsigned under the image but the verso has two inscriptions, "Леонов И.В." (Leonov I.V.) and "Выборгск ДК" (Vyborg DK). The first inscription is the name of the artist, I. Leonov. The second one must be the place where the drawing was made, the so-called House of Culture (a community center, in Soviet parlance) in the city of Vyborg, north-west of Leningrad, annexed by the USSR from Finland in 1940 in the course of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War.
In very good condition. As almost all original artwork in pencil, it shows "the artist at work", i.e. fingerprints and smears of graphite at the edges, as well as traces of graphite transferred from other drawings stored together in a sketchpad or in a folio. This is exactly what gives it its "proof of authenticity". That, and the tiny pushpin holes at the corners, left from when the sheet was pinned to an easel or a drawing board.
Unfortunately, there are two edge bumps to the paper at top left, and a diagonal scratch at bottom left which has turned into a partial separation, not too long and not too obvious. However, framing this drawing will hide the bumps and reinforce the scratch so the separation does not go further.
This drawing can be easily framed and will add a wonderful personal touch to a collection of WW2 personal effects and trench art.
Please note that the medal in our last photo is for size reference.
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