"Russian Mona Lisa" by the painter Kramskoy. Who is she?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

On March 2, 1883, the 11th exhibition of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions opened in the building of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. The painting "Unknown" by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy became a sensation. Visitors unsuccessfully tried to guess the name of the lady captured by the master. The leader of the Wanderers answered all modest and not very modest questions evasively, which only provoked the public, greedy for scandals.

Woman out of nowhere

One of the most famous and mysterious canvases of the Russian school of painting appeared out of nowhere. In the extensive epistolary legacy of Kramskoy, there is not a word about the work on "Unknown". Diaries and memoirs of contemporaries do not clarify the situation - nothing anywhere. Some kind of mysterious "figure of silence" instead of a thoroughly documented creative background of the creation of a masterpiece called "Russian Mona Lisa". The conclusion suggests itself: the eminent artist, who had a wide range of customers in different strata of St. Petersburg society - from wealthy noble and merchant houses to grand ducal and royal palaces - deliberately wrote "Unknown" in secret from everyone. For Ivan Nikolaevich, such secrecy was unnatural: as a rule, he willingly shared his creative ideas.

The intrigue continued to unfold … Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov did not buy for his gallery an undoubted masterpiece of the itinerant and constant correspondent so valued by him, and refrained from commenting.

But why? What did contemporaries see in this portrait that we do not see?

And your humble servant tried to look at a woman's portrait through the eyes of the first visitors to the "art exhibition" of 1883, claiming aristocracy and strict observance of secular decency.

Yes - the woman is in a wheelchair. Note - double. That is, it is either someone's departure (which is an indicator of a high position) or, at least, an expensive reckless cab. In this case, the heroine is alone in a wheelchair. Although it would be appropriate for a decent lady to go with someone - a husband, father, brother, finally, a friend or companion …

An aristocrat would never allow herself such a demonstrative violation of the rules of the world. The aristocrat would not even dress like the "Unknown" did.

And this is already a clue for the search, in which I was helped by the research of specialists in the history of the costume.¹.

Cloak in memory of Skobelev

A small velvet hat "Francis" with a twisted white ostrich feather, a coat "Skobelev" with sable fur, expensive leather gloves - things were very fashionable for 1883. The real trend of the season, as they would say today: the "white general" Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev passed away under very mysterious circumstances in the summer of 1882, and the death of the young commander continues to haunt the minds. But wearing so many expensive and fashionable things at once is bad form for a lady from high society. A wealthy woman with a fashion sense will wear one item to show her status, and that's enough. Dressing up in "the most-most" - the manner of the nouveau riche.

Recall that the picture was painted during the years of the birth of Russian capitalism, the entry into the arena of the then "new Russians" - railway tycoons, bankers … It was they and their ladies who boasted of luxury, which caused smiles - upstarts amuse their complexes. Pushkin said exactly about the future:

The conclusion is obvious: the lady depicted by Kramskoy either does not belong to a secular society, or has a unique opportunity to violate its rules of conduct with impunity."Unknown" is removed from the jurisdiction of the all-powerful and cruel secular rumor and realizes her own non-jurisdiction: the harsh judgments of the world are not for her.

This is possible in one and only case: the lady is supported by the emperor himself, who does not want to keep secret his special relationship with the "Unknown". It remains only to tell her name. This is Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova (1847 - 1922), who for 14 years was close to Alexander II (1818 - 1881). And the letter to which he always began with the words: "Hello, dear angel of my soul"².

Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova. 1866 year.

The second in the stroller

Both the emperor himself and his favorite viewed this closeness not as a sinful relationship, but as a secret marriage, for which they received a blessing "from God." The State Archive of the Russian Federation contains an extensive correspondence of this pair: 3450 letters from Alexander II and 1458 letters from the princess.

Having studied the correspondence, the historian from St. Petersburg and the author of "Rodina" Yulia Safronova wrote a wonderful book "Yekaterina Yurievskaya. A Novel in Letters", in which she very delicately but psychologically accurately wrote about this incident. From the very beginning of the relationship, the couple developed their own "love formulas":

“Katya even wrote about their mutual feeling, as about an event predetermined in heaven:“We were created to constitute a sacred exception.”Such constant self-hypnosis made it possible to avoid discussions of the illegality of extramarital affairs. The novel was never thought in terms of sin, but, on the contrary, - as following God's will. At the same time, the couple understood that from the outside their connection could be assessed differently. The insecurity hidden from themselves is visible in the obsessive repetition: "We alone fully understand the holiness of this feeling, which we are happy and proud of." … Another way to respond to inner doubts were the declaration of their feelings as unique, inaccessible to anyone, which means that they do not obey general laws: "… we are the only couple who love with such passion as we do, and who knows the joy of the cult that God instilled in us." from the world was the declaration of everything external to be insignificant, meaningless … "³

Letter from the Emperor to Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukova. 1868 year.

The couple repeatedly violated the unwritten rules of behavior in the world. During her vacation in the Crimea, the princess could go for a walk alone. The maid of honor of the Empress, Countess Alexandra Andreevna Tolstaya, with poorly concealed indignation recalled how she once saw Princess Dolgorukova "on the road, in front of everyone … walking."⁴… An even greater violation of secular decency was the joint walks of lovers in an open carriage. On June 30, 1872, the princess wrote to the tsar: "I adore driving your convertible, clinging all to your beautiful body, which is mine - I would have eaten everything."⁵.

Based on this intimate confession, Alexander II could have been located in the empty space to the left of the "Unknown". It is possible that initially Kramskoy intended to portray the king next to his morganatic wife. Moreover, the emperor was often painted either in a sleigh or in a carriage. The Yaroslavl Art Museum contains a painting by Nikolai Yegorovich Sverchkov "Riding in a carriage (Alexander II with children)". Do a little thought experiment: in your own imagination, transfer the figure of the tsar from this canvas and seat him in an empty seat next to "Unknown" - and may art critics forgive me for such blasphemy!

Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich and Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna in a carriage near the garden of the Anichkov Palace. 1825

The dotted line and chisel engraving of the end of the first quarter of the 19th century is also known: Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich (future Emperor Nicholas I, father of Alexander II) sits in a carriage with his wife Alexandra Feodorovna and drives horses like a boss. The august couple is depicted against the background of the Anichkov Palace, in which she then lived⁶… But to the left of the "Unknown" we also see the Anichkov Palace, which during the reign of Alexander II belonged to Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich.

A strong emotional arc arises. The artist's art unexpectedly removes a dense veil that hides an important secret of the Romanov dynasty.

K. Beggrov. Palace of Peter I in the Summer Garden. 1820s.

Change of scenery

On July 6, 1880, after the death of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, the sovereign hastened to marry the princess in the "camp" church of Tsarskoye Selo. Ekaterina Mikhailovna received the title of Most Serene Princess Yuryevskaya, and with her the children born before marriage - the son of George (Goga) and daughters Olga and Ekaterina; another son, Boris, died in infancy. At the disposal of Princess Yuryevskaya, already in September 1880, the sovereign transferred the Special Capital, amounting to 3,409,580 rubles 1 kopeck⁷… Vera Borovikova, the princess's maid, recalled that Alexander II began to travel openly in the same carriage with her mistress two weeks after the wedding: "… and everyone saw it in Tsarskoe Selo, but no one spoke out loud about the wedding."⁸.

High society was shocked, realizing that the emperor's walks with his morganatic wife would not be limited.

The dynastic crisis again came close to the threshold of the House of Romanov. The actual privy councilor Anatoly Nikolayevich Kulomzin recalls: "… There were ominous rumors about the Tsar's desire to crown Princess Yuryevskaya … All this worried to the depths of his soul. … if this event occurs, he and his wife and children will leave for Denmark, which was followed by a threat from Alexander II, in the event of such a departure, to declare the heir to the throne born before marriage from George Yuryevskaya … "⁹

"Unknown" could have been crowned as Catherine III.

It was necessary to prepare Russian society for what was called “a change of scenery” in the novel What Is To Be Done ?, a cult book of several generations of Russians.

Alexander II, who had reigned for a quarter of a century, dreamed of abdicating the throne and spending the rest of his life with Katenka as a private person - in Cairo or in America. "Ah! How tired of everything I am, and what would I give to give up everything, retire somewhere with you, angel of my soul, and live only for you."¹⁰.

It was at this time that the recognized leading figure of portrait painting Kramskoy received the order to paint a portrait of Princess Yuryevskaya. The order was asked not to advertise. This is my hypothesis. It is based on facts.

Alexander II with his second wife Ekaterina Dolgorukova and their children Georgy and Olga.

Faces not to see

In the fall of 1880, another fashionable and very expensive metropolitan artist, Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky (the tsar called him "my painter"¹¹), wrote a ceremonial portrait of the princess in Livadia. Count Sergei Dmitrievich Sheremetev, the beloved adjutant of the Tsarevich, impartially wrote about the unbearable atmosphere that developed in the imperial residence: "… he witnessed many things that he would not want to see, and an eyewitness of a vague and gloomy era (complete decay and decay of the charm of the royal power). … Makovsky at that time was making a portrait of Princess Yuryevskaya, you had to go to admire it. … We can say that the family life of the royal family was a whole hell."

The ceremonial portrait of Princess Yuryevskaya by Makovsky, considered lost, was recently discovered in Stockholm and on December 13, 2017, sold at auction for a record 11 million kronor ($ 1, 304 million).

Sergei Makovsky, the artist's son, remembered a colorful detail: the artist began a painting in Livadia, painting the face of a model from life, and finished in St. Petersburg, using the services of a model, who, for greater credibility, posed for him in a blue hood of Princess Yuryevskaya. Apparently, Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna clearly lacked patience and perseverance. And portrait painters had to take this feature into account.

The private collection of Dusan Friedrich (Prague) contains a sketch by Kramskoy during his work on "Unknown" - a young woman in a wheelchair in the same position. Something similar to the heroine of the picture. Although the face is rougher, and the look is certainly defiantly arrogant. In the whole appearance of this model, there is some kind of intolerable and daring vulgarity.

Who is depicted? Most likely a model. Perhaps a woman of easy virtue. Kramskoy wanted to grab the pose he needed, and at the same time wrote his face for memory. The master prepared in advance so that when working on the portrait of Princess Yuryevskaya, he would not waste time working out the details. Who knows if the impatient princess will want to pose for many sessions ?!

But Kramskoy was not able to realize this plan.

N. Sverchkov. Wheelchair riding (Alexander II with children).

Shadow of a canceled order

The well-known events followed: on March 1, 1881, Alexander II was killed by a bomb from the People's Will, the throne was taken by his son Alexander III. Princess Yuryevskaya cut off her luxurious hair (a long braid reached the floor) and put it in the emperor's coffin. Under the open pressure of Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, the inconsolable widow first left her apartments in the Winter Palace, and then left Russia with her children and settled in her own villa in Nice.

Kramskoy was involuntarily involved in someone else's family drama, while he treated all its "characters" well (Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, too, are known for their portraits by Kramskoy). The order dropped by itself - well, okay. But then what - to spit and forget? Alas - the artist is not so arranged! The idea, sunk into the soul, does not let go, it hurts, develops into another … In general, he begins to feverishly work on the canvas for a completely different one.

Of course, now there could be no talk of any portrait resemblance between "Unknown" and Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna.

Take another look at the "Unknown". The heroine is alone in a double wheelchair. Logically, next to her there should be … Who is the beloved man? But he is no longer there. Killed? What's in the background on the canvas? The Anichkov Palace is the one in which Alexander III lived quite recently. The heroine leaves Anichkov Palace forever! And in her eyes there is an amazing range of feelings: pain, sadness, arrogance … But arrogance is of a special kind: you, the crowd in the street, have no right to gossip about me, judge me …

K. Makovsky. Portrait of Ekaterina Dolgorukova, from 1880 of the Most Serene Princess Yurievskaya.

And I no longer want to discuss the pretentiousness of the outfits of a proud and sad beauty traveling along the Nevsky. Kramskoy worked for centuries - who, centuries later, remembers the subtleties of the then fashion? Look at her face! It is foolish to say that this is someone's portrait. This is not a portrait at all. This painting is a different genre. And it was no longer Princess Yuryevskaya that was written. Something in the heroine, perhaps from the model from the sketch. Something from her daughter Sophia, who often posed for her father. And most of all - from a woman, about whom the artist himself was thinking. And don't ask who she is.

She is "Unknown".

In the State Tretyakov Gallery "Unknown" appeared only in 1925 - after the nationalization of one of the private collections.

Study by Ivan Kramskoy for the painting "Unknown".

The author expresses his sincere gratitude to journalist Sergei Nekhamkin (Minsk) for his help in this work

1. Kirsanova R. M. Portrait of an unknown woman in a blue dress. M.: Kuchkovo field, 2017. S. 370, 390.

2. Safronova Yu. A. Ekaterina Yurievskaya. A novel in letters. SPb. 2017. S. 107.

3. Ibid. P. 121.

4. Ibid. P. 172.

5. Ibid. P. 163.

6. Rovinsky D. A. A complete dictionary of Russian engraved portraits. T. I: A - D. SPb. 1886. Stlb. 34. No. 86.

7. Safronova Yu. A. Ekaterina Yurievskaya. A novel in letters. SPb. 2017. S. 162.

8. Ibid. P. 226.

9. Kulomzin A. N. Experienced. Memories. Moscow: Political Encyclopedia, 2016. S. 313, 329.

10. Safronova Yu. A. Ekaterina Yurievskaya. A novel in letters. SPb. 2017. S. 122.

11. Makovsky S. K. Portraits of Contemporaries. M.: Agraf, 2000 //