Vladimir Nabokov

measurements 9 by 9 in. alternate measurements 23 by 23 cm signed, dated and inscribed vladimir nabokov/1967/1971 (lower left) color pencil, pencil, ink on paper catalogue note the provenance of these butterflies and inscriptions is secure. andrew field was a critic and biographer of nabokov in various books published in the twenty years between 1967 and 1987. of one of these leon edel wrote: "he has added a new dimension to modern boswellism. when a biography is as inventive as this one, we may certainly call it a work of art." but nabokov, who had previously praised some of field's books in equally strong terms, bitterly disagreed and a noted literary dispute followed. these inscriptions and butterflies lift a corner, never before revealed, on the period of warmth between nabokov and field, and thus have historical as well as artistic value.

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) Rabbithead logo in the form of a butterfly pencil and pastel on paper 6 x 7 in. (15.2 x 17.8 cm.) RUN DATE: August 1976. Nabokov, an ardent scholar of the butterfly in addition to being agifted writer, provided this design which is reproduced on theContents page of the August 1976 issue. It states there: "The ideafor this month's cover came from--of all people--author VladimirNabokov, who wrote, in a letter to PLAYBOY, 'Have you ever noticedhow the head and ears of your Rabbit resemble a butterfly inshape?' Included in the letter was the drawing at left. If youhaven't guessed by now, you should be awate that Nabokov is an avidlepidopterist (that is a butterfly collector, class)."