Family Photograph 23

1914: Petrograd:  The war with Germany was the reason to change the German sounding name 'St. Petersburg' to a pure Russian 'Petrograd'.  The photo shows the new studio at '5 Corners' in Chernyshev Alley.  There is a large painting of the famous ballerina Preobrajenskaya.# 152.  Next to the ballerina is a portrait of the artists daughter, Sonja #83.  Stember is sitting in front of the painting of 'Salome' but is this with or without the head of John the Baptist? Stember originally painted it with the head on the platter but found it difficult to sell.  The eventual buyer would only buy it on the condition that Stember painted out the head and turned the platter into a mirror!  One wonders if the current owner of this painting knows there is the severed head on the platter?!

Stember is sitting in front of the hand-carved lions as the tables front legs.  He got this unusually beautiful table, as well as a large divan with a very tall back and a couple of bureaus also carved and a few arm chairs all in exchange for a couple of his nudes! (as stated in the family album about this picture.)