Footnotes

Littérature
A. Kouria, 55 Unknown Works by Known Greek Artists, Τhe Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive, Athens 2002, p. 106 (discussed), p. 107 (illustrated).

*Veuillez noter qu'en raison de la réglementation grecque, ce lot ne peut pas être exporté de Grèce et sera disponible pour consultation et inspection à Athènes sur rendez-vous ou lors de l'exposition à Athènes, du 8 au 10 novembre 2023. Cette œuvre restera à Athènes pendant la vente aux enchères.

*Please note that due to Greek regulation, this lot cannot be exported from Greece and will be available for viewing and inspection in Athens either by appointment or during the Athens Preview, 8-10 November 2023. This work will be located in Athens during the auction.


Captured with lively brushstrokes and vibrant colours, and imbued with a spirit of untutored simplicity, this seductive portrait of a young girl from the town of Agiassos on the island of Mytilene is perfectly integrated into her luxuriant environment, evoking a sense of home and domesticity. Proudly holding a hand-painted two-handle pitcher—a direct reference to her native town's rich and celebrated pottery heritage—the young kore is handled in a fashion deeply rooted in Byzantine and folk tradition: her egg-shaped face and well-delineated features emulate age-old models, while her full frontal posture is a defining feature of Byzantine icon painting.

As noted by folk art scholar G. Samourkas, "Theofilos's Mytilene period, which lasted from the mid-1920s until his passing in 1934, was his most mature; his designs became more confident, his colours warmer, his compositions more structured, his backdrops more embellished and his colour combinations more elegant."<sup>1

1</sup> G. Samourkas,Twelve Folk Painters [in Greek], Athens 1974, p. 90.