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Yes, lovers of art, as well as investment in it, we are far advanced in the attribution of this, as Paul rightly said, an outstanding portrait.

Russian eyes involuntarily associate it with the name of Yuri Annenkov. This fact indicated the majority were.

Indeed, the one who painted portraits, of course, knew early work of Yuri Annenkov, and the image monocle samotsitata if not, exactly - a quotation.
Why such an outstanding thing does not have a signature?
I think Frosya hooked the other thread that I can get to the truth.

I also proceed from the hypothesis that the portrait is an element of the scenery staging a movie or theatrical performance. Character in the portrait of acting (perhaps the main character) face of a movie or play. Judging by the style of painting time of 10-20-ies.
As props, not intended for long storage, painting done on the cheap, thin canvas, with a minimum of soil and possibly cheaper paints. Signature is not needed, and even inappropriate.
An indirect argument in favor of this version is the fact that the family Jouvet this portrait is not hung on the wall, and stored in a roll along with other theatrical and movie props.

Assuming that this film and author Y. Annenkov, it begs the assumption that the portrait is made for one of the films, where both attended. Such films - three.
Mademoiselle doctor or a spy nest in Thessaloniki, in 1936, directed by G. Pabst.
The Shanghai Drama ", 1938, the same director.
"Lady of Panama, 1949, directed by G. Jeanson.
The last film could look. Character of the portrait in him.
Two others - imagine! - None at the Paris Cinematheque. Ie on bobbins, they probably have, but in today's media is not available.
But perhaps they are amateurs or professionals from overseas, in particular, French cinema.
See them in the end, perhaps we could, but not the fact that this portrait is found there. First made for the movie props are not always then enters the frame. Second, often, the footage is cut out during editing.
But the main thing is not even that. Suppose we were able to see our picture in the frame of one of the two films. This fact by itself does not mean an equal sign between the portrait and authorship Yuri Annenkov.
The fact is that in all three films Yuri Annenkov serves as the author of costumes, and not set designer. Anyone who saw his sketches for theatrical productions and films, is that this work is very different from the considered pattern. While the French film employed a lot of Russian, including as artistic director. Incidentally, in the picture Pabst in 1936 as a painter decorators in favor SN Pimenov. As movie set designer, he participated in a much larger number of productions than Y. Annenkov and was the acknowledged master. 've Seen his easel works. I would never have admitted that the artist is able to do before us the portrait.

In order to delirium, as they say in the theater, we assume that Yuri Annenkov, working with his compatriot in a single product, from the bounty of his gave him the idea and maybe even made a sketch, which then Pimenov and perform necessary for decoration portrait. And then he will refute himself. Not the man was Yuri Pavlovich, and Sergei Pimenov by 1936 in the French cinema was a more significant figure than Annenkov, it seems, they disliked each other. Anyway, in his two-volume "Diary of my meetings and a book in French" Dressing stars, "where he mentions a lot of characters from fleeting encounters, a word about Pimenov.

Yet I have a stable feeling that this is Annenkov.
Probably work for the theater. Unfortunately, the archives of the French theater, much less systematized and more readily available than the movie archives. At least a year of research is not to no avail, although Russian connection from time to time met. For example, L. Jouvet collaborated with P. Chelishchev.

Once upon a time somewhere near the venerable French critic Georges Woldemar read that Yuri Annenkov made with L. Jouvet two portraits. One found it - it pocherkushki during the filming of "Lady of Panama. And where is the second?
However, perhaps this is lzhepodskazka my friend Alzheimer's.

As in the case of Stelletskii, hoping that someone from the Western Professional theater and cinema tells something sensible. But, apparently, they still do not attend this one, called here by someone, "The site's claim to world leadership."