Vladimir Griegorovich Tretchikoff (South African, 1913-2006)


Cock Fighter signed 'TRETCHIKOFF/ JAVA' (lower right)oil on canvas laid to board100 x 72cm (39 3/8 x 28 3/8in).
|ProvenanceThe collection of Mr. Friedrich Wilhelm Knacke, South Africa.Acquired by a private collector in 1957.Purchased by the present owner at Garlicks, Cape Town, in 1975.ExhibitedCape Town, Garlicks, Tretchikoff,, April, 1975.LiteratureBoris Gorelik, Incredible Tretchikoff: Life of an Artist and Adventurer, (London, 2013) illustrated on p.88.The model for the painting is most likely the servant of J.W. den Hartog, an art teacher that Tretchikoff befriended during his time in Jakarta. He is also depicted in another of Tretchikoff's works titled Gardener against a background of red canna lilies.At this period, Java was under Japanese occupation and art supplies were either confiscated for propaganda work or sent to Japan. Fortunately for Tretchikoff, Den Hartog had a stockpile of materials in his studio which he was willing to lend to the Russian.In later interviews, Tretchikoff claimed that one of the most memorable experiences from his period in Java was watching a cock fight:"I...was fascinated by the spirit, cunning and plumage of the game cocks."Cockfighting was actually illegal in Indonesia. They were conducted in unmarked venues in the late afternoon. The illicit nature of the game enhanced the excitement. Significant sums of money were bet at these fights, and the owners of prize birds achieved almost celebrity status.Den Hartog's servant was an enthusiastic cockfighter and raised several birds. When Tretchikoff asked him to sit for a portrait with one of his roosters, the man brought out his champion cock. However, the artist rejected the selection. The rooster was a veteran fighter and had sustained many scars and lost half his plumage. Tretchikoff asked him to select a more attractive bird, much to the owner's chagrin.This portrait was the first painting that Tretchikoff executed in Java, and one of his most highly prized.The painting's original owner, Friedrich Wilhelm Knacke (1880-1957), was Chairman and Managing Directors of Namaqua Diamonds Ltd., one of the pioneering mining firms in South West Africa. The firm was a great commercial success, and enabled Knacke to acquire Earl's Dyke estate in Camps Bay. He commissioned William Grant to design and build a 15 room manor on the site. Tretchikoff's Cock Fighter was one of the paintings Knacke purchased for the property.BibliographyBoris Gorelik, Incredible Tretchikoff: Life of an Artist and Adventurer, (London, 2013) pp.87-88.