Painting three princesses of the underworld description. Russian folk tales
Vasnetsov we remember from the well-known from school "Three heroes" and "Ivan Tsarevich on a gray wolf." And today let's pay attention to the not so famous, but very interesting work of the master - "Three Princesses of the Underworld". Believe me, she has something to surprise us with!
Savva Mamontov
It is somehow strange that the great artists, whose work can be seen in the best museums, worked to order. Needed, earned, wrote even to decorate offices and apartments. Somehow it doesn't fit. Nevertheless, this is so, and it is with such an order that the history of this amazing picture is connected.
So, Viktor Vasnetsov had a friend - Savva Mamontov. And I must say, it was a well-known at that time (and still fond of art) entrepreneur and philanthropist. This means that he supported the artists "free of charge, that is, for nothing."
Here he is, Savva, you see - imposingly lounging on the sofa in Repin's painting. Almost new Russian. And who knows what would happen to Russian art, if there were no Savva, there would definitely be fewer paintings in the Tretyakov Gallery. Although there was still, of course, Tretyakov himself, and other patrons, but that's not the point. The importance of Savva for art cannot be overestimated - that's what I wanted to say.
Savva really wanted to support his friend, the artist Vasnetsov, by giving him a good commission. He came to the management of the Donetsk railway, of which he was a member, and convinced his colleagues that the best decoration of their office would be the work of Viktor Mikhailovich. They shook hands and Vasnetsov happily set to work.
Here it should be noted that Victor was a great lover of fairy tales and all kinds of Russian creativity and approached the order very creatively. “Three princesses of the underworld” were, by the way, not the only picture of the order, there was a couple more - “Flying Carpet” and “Battle of the Scythians with the Slavs”. And all the pictures, as you might guess, turned out to be very magical. And they would be good for ... a textbook, for example, or at least a gallery. But not an office where serious people solved serious problems. That's how the customers counted - and refused to buy paintings. 
Well, Savva had to decide the issue. The paintings were purchased by the patron's family.
But let's dwell on the "Three Princesses" in more detail. What an interesting idea was born in the head of the artist. At that time, minerals began to be mined in the Donbas - gold, precious stones and coal. There is such a fairy tale - "Underground Kingdoms", that's what Vasnetsov took as a basis, adding the princess of coal. That is, in his picture he made such an interesting image of the wealth of this region, depicting them in the form of royalty. Just look at these women - gold, precious stones and coal! This is not a picture, but a whole performance!
Apparently, Vasnetsov (and not only) thought so, and in 884 he created a second version of this work, with minor changes. It was acquired by a philanthropist and collector from Kyiv Tereshchenko.
Now the painting "Three Princesses of the Underworld" adorns the walls of the Tretyakov Gallery, and for those who live in Moscow or visit the capital, I highly recommend considering the "girls" in more detail.
One of the important stages in the formation of V. Vasnetsov, as a pioneer of the fairy-tale genre in Russian painting, was the order in 1880 by the industrialist and philanthropist Savva Mamontov of three paintings for the board of the Donetsk railway. One of these paintings is "Three princesses of the underworld". Like the Flying Carpet, it carried an allegorical meaning and personified the riches hidden in the bowels of the Donbass. Although in the end the board refused to buy the paintings, the Mamontov brothers bought them. And in 1884, Vasnetsov again turned to this plot, slightly supplementing the original version. This painting was acquired by the collector and philanthropist I. Tereshchenko.
The plot of the picture is based on the Russian folk tale "Underground Kingdoms". According to her, Ivan Tsarevich and his brothers were looking for their mother Anastasia the Beautiful, kidnapped by Raven Voronovich. To do this, he had to go underground, where he met the princesses of the underworld kingdoms: Copper, Silver and Gold. Having defeated the villain, the hero gathered back upstairs, along with his mother and three princesses. But his brothers, seeing the handsome man, changed their minds about pulling Ivan out and cut the rope. It was this moment that Vasnetsov portrayed. The first version of the picture shows only the princesses themselves, and in the version of 1884 there are also two brothers bowing low in front of the beauties.
In order to please his plan, the artist replaced the Silver and Copper Princesses with Coal and Precious Stones. These three beautiful girls, shining with the beauty of their outfits, became the characters in the picture. In the center is the princess Precious stones. Her majestic posture and proud head held high speak of a noble origin. She has a beautiful face: a burning blush, sable eyebrows, scarlet lips. Her outfit is also striking: an expensive dress embroidered with a fancy ornament interspersed with precious stones: emerald, pinkish, turquoise, red and yellow, complemented by massive beads on the chest and a crown of gems.
To her left stands the majestic Princess of Gold in a sparkling golden robe. The intricate pattern on her dress is complemented by a rich scattering of gems that adorn the sleeves and hem of the dress. On the royal head, a kokoshnik crown shines with the brilliance of precious stones. But her beautiful face is sad, longing is felt in her lowered eyes. Although, it seems to someone that the Princess of Gold has an arrogant expression on her face.
A little apart from her majestic sisters stands the timid Coal Princess. Her outfit is modest, it does not have the pretentiousness and splendor of her sisters' robes. A simple but exquisite brocade black dress, shiny black hair falling over her shoulders, sadness on her snow-white face - the artist made her the most human of his heroines. In the version of 1881, the Coal Princess holds her hands together, which makes her image even more tragic, because according to the plot of the tale, her prototype was the beloved of Ivan Tsarevich. In the second version of the picture, Vasnetsov changed the position of her hands, placing them along the body, giving the figure of the younger princess calmness and majesty. Blocks of black rocks in the background, the red sunset sky give the picture monumentality. And the contrasting combination of earth and sky, against which the kidnapped princesses are shown, emphasizes the anxiety and excitement of the heroines.
The name of Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov is well known not only to art lovers. Everyone remembers well his paintings "Alyonushka", "Bogatyrs", "The Knight at the Crossroads" and many others. All of them are written on the plots of works of oral folk art. Another such picture Vasnetsov V.M. ordered S.I. Mamontov for the board of the Donetsk railway. The canvas is called "Three princesses of the underworld."
The painting is based on the plot of a Russian folk tale. It depicts three unusually beautiful girls. They are surrounded by mighty rocks. And behind them stretches the sunset sky with pink clouds floating across it. Against this background, the girls look even more majestic and beautiful. The picture is filled with bright, rich colors, emphasizing the beauty and richness of the Russian land.
Each of the girls personifies the wealth of the earth's interior. They are luxuriously dressed. On one girl, standing to the left of the sisters, is a golden outfit. It sparkles in the rays of the setting sun. The dress is decorated with patterns. This is a Russian ornament. This is how the girls of Ancient Russia decorated their outfits. Only embroidered patterns in gold and silver. But still, the girl herself is more beautiful than her attire. She is majestic and humble at the same time. Shamefully lowering her gaze, folding her hands, she shows the viewer an example of humility and truly royal pride.
The second girl, which the artist placed in the center, is also regally beautiful, like her sister. Her dress is studded with precious stones, embroidered with patterns. The headdress is luxurious. If the head of the first girl is decorated with a golden crown with a small amount of jewelry, then the second crown is completely decorated with precious stones. It resembles a star that sparkles on the princess's head.
But the third girl is significantly different from her sisters. She is dressed in a black dress, which does not shine with the same luxury as the sisters. Neither a veil nor a crown decorates her head. The hair falls freely on the shoulders of the younger princess, her arms are lowered along the torso. And that's what makes it so special. There is no less grandeur in her than in other princesses. But her majesty is without royal arrogance. This is the majesty of a girl, calm, confident, modest, proud. In other words, Vasnetsov portrayed in her the ideal of a Russian woman.
All princesses are motionless, static. It seems that, once on the surface of the earth, they froze. The princesses pay no attention to the two men bowing before them in a respectful bow. They do not notice the beauty of the sunset sky. They themselves are the beauty and wealth of the Russian land.
Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov is a Russian painter. His work in the fairy-tale genre is very famous. Somehow, the chairman of the board of construction of the railway in Donetsk, S. Mamontov, ordered a painting from V. Vasnetsov. It should be made on a fairy-tale theme. The plot of the picture was the idea of the people about the wealth stored in the deep bowels of the earth. So the work of V. Vasnetsov “Three princesses of the underworld” was born.
The painting depicts three princesses. By their appearance, you can determine who is what the princess. A woman in golden lush robes is a princess of gold. Another - all in precious stones and chic robes - the princess of precious stones. And the third, in a simple black dress with open arms and loose hair over her shoulders, is the princess of coal. She does not have that arrogance and pomposity that in other women. But this does not spoil it at all, but makes it somehow more attractive.
In the original plot of the picture there were only two main princesses - gold and precious stones. But in 1884, at the request of industrialists, another woman appeared on the canvas - the princess of coal. It is also noticeable that the girl's hands are simply lowered to the bottom, and not as in the rest they are modestly closed in front. But this gives them even more majesty. The princesses are surrounded by piles of stones. In the right corner of the picture, two men are bowing to them. A bright red sunset sky stands out in the background of the canvas. It is also slightly edited and saturated with brighter colors.
The painting "Three princesses of the underworld" in 1880 was ordered to Viktor Vasnetsov by the industrialist and philanthropist Savva Mamontov.
In 1882, Savva Mamontov built the Donetsk coal railway. The philanthropist decided to decorate the office of the board of the new enterprise with paintings by the young talented artist Viktor Vasnetsov. As a result of the agreement, Vasnetsov wrote three works especially for Mamontov: “Three princesses of the underworld”, “Flying carpet” and “Battle of the Scythians with the Slavs”.
The fairy tale "The Underground Kingdoms" is taken as the basis for the painting "Three Princesses of the Underworld". The canvas, according to the author's intention, was to personify the wealth of the bowels of the Donbass. But the board members did not accept Vasnetsov's work. They considered the fairy tale theme inappropriate for the office space.
In 1884, Vasnetsov wrote another version of the painting, while slightly changing the composition and color. The picture is acquired by the Kyiv collector and philanthropist Ivan Tereshchenko. In the new version, the position of the hands of the princess of coal has changed, now they lie along the body, which gave the figure calmness and majesty.
Mamontov's son Vsevolod recalled these paintings: "The first picture was supposed to depict the distant past of the Donetsk region, the second - a fabulous way to travel and the third - the princesses of gold, precious stones and coal - a symbol of the richness of the bowels of the awakened region."
So dressed in Russia
The artist has always been attentive to history and, before starting to paint a picture, carefully studied the life of the era. Viktor Vasnetsov knew all the intricacies of costumes. He dressed two senior princesses in Russian folk costumes.
The golden princess is depicted dressed in a feryaz. This type of clothing with sleeves to the floor, where there are slits for the arms, was common in pre-Petrine Russia. She has a koruna on her head - a headdress that only unmarried girls could wear (the top of her head remained open, which was unacceptable for a family woman). Usually the koruna was an element of the wedding attire.
The Princess of Precious Stones, like the Golden Princess, is dressed in a feryaz, under which is a long silk shirt. She has opiastya on her hands - an element of the Russian national costume, and on her head - a low crown.
It should be noted that in Russia, old maids did not have the right to wear the clothes of married women. They weaved a braid like girls, covered their heads with a scarf. They were forbidden to wear a kokoshnik, a magpie, a warrior, to wear a ponyova. They could only walk in a white shirt, a dark sundress, and a bib.
The ornament on the clothes could tell a lot about its owner. So, for example, in the Vologda region, a tree was depicted on the shirts of pregnant women. The chicken was embroidered on the clothes of married women, white swans - on unmarried girls. A blue sundress was worn by unmarried girls preparing for a wedding or by old women. But, for example, a red sundress was worn by those who had just married. The more time passed after the wedding, the less red the woman used in her clothes.
The younger princess
An old Russian beauty could not appear in public with open arms and an uncovered head. But the younger princess in the picture is depicted in a modern dress with short sleeves. Her hands are bare. This is the image of the Princess of Stone Coal - "black gold", which at that time ensured the movement of trains.
Contrasting the clothes of the princesses, the artist wanted to emphasize that the useful properties of coal were discovered by mankind only recently. This mineral refers to the present and future, while gold and precious stones refer to the past.
In 1883-1884, Ivan Tereshchenko commissioned another version of the painting, in which the artist depicts the brothers of Ivan Tsarevich, amazed by the beauty of the princesses. Vasnetsov combines different interpretations of the tale. In one, Ivan meets the princesses in the mountains, and in the other, he descends into the dungeon on a rope, a fragment of which is drawn in the lower right corner of the picture. The brothers were waiting for him on the surface and, at a signal, raised the prince, their mother and the released captives.
"I fell in love with a black one"
Viktor Vasnetsov's brother Apollinaris, also a painter, wrote to him about the XII Traveling Exhibition, where the second version of the painting was presented:
“... I had to get acquainted with how the public relates to your picture. Undoubtedly, it makes an impression and is liked by many, but the content is at a loss, and I had to enter into explanations of the plot several times. As for me personally, I just fell in love with a black girl, lovely and golden, but a little proud; the clothes on the latter, in my opinion, are made in such a way that there is nothing in the exhibition that could be compared in terms of breadth of writing and naturalness ... "(Viktor Vasnetsov. "Letters. Diaries. Memories").
In 1880-1881, Savva Mamontov ordered three paintings from Viktor Vasnetsov for the office of the board of the Donetsk railway.
Vasnetsov wrote "Three Princesses of the Underworld", "Flying Carpet" and "Battle of the Scythians with the Slavs". A fairy tale is taken as the basis of the picture. The painting "Three Princesses of the Underground Kingdom" personifies the richness of the bowels of the Donbass, for which the plot of the tale is slightly changed - it depicts the princess of coal.
Viktor Vasnetsov.
Three princesses of the underworld.
1879. First version. Canvas, oil. 152.7 x 165.2.
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
Members of the board did not accept Vasnetsov's work on a fairy tale theme as inappropriate for the office space. In 1884, Vasnetsov wrote another version of the painting, while slightly changing the composition and color. The painting is acquired by the Kyiv collector and philanthropist I.N. Tereshchenko.
In the new version, the position of the hands of the princess of coal has changed, now they lie along the body, which gives the figure calmness and majesty.
In the painting "Three princesses of the underworld" one of the characters - the third, junior princess - will be further developed in female images. The hidden spiritual sadness of this humbly proud girl will be found both in his portraits and in fictional images.
Underworld
Russian folktale
In that old time, when the world was filled with goblin, witches and mermaids, when the rivers flowed with milk, the banks were jelly, and fried partridges flew across the fields, at that time there lived a king named Gorokh with Tsarina Anastasia the Beautiful; they had three princely sons.
And suddenly a great misfortune shook - an unclean spirit dragged the queen away. The eldest son says to the king: "Father, bless me, I'll go look for my mother!" Went and disappeared; For three years there was no news or a rumor about him. The second son began to ask: "Father, bless me on the road, maybe I'll be lucky enough to find both my brother and my mother!" The king blessed; he went and also disappeared without a trace - as if he had sunk into the water.
The youngest son, Ivan Tsarevich, comes to the king: "Dear father, bless me on my way, maybe I will find my brothers and my mother!" - "Go, son!"
Ivan Tsarevich set off in an alien direction; I rode and rode and came to the blue sea, stopped on the bank and thought: "Where to go now?" Suddenly thirty-three spoonbills flew to the sea, hit the ground and became red maidens - all are good, but one is the best; undressed and jumped into the water. How many, how few they swam - Ivan Tsarevich crept up, took from the girl who was more beautiful than all, a sash and hid it in his bosom.
The girls swam, went ashore, began to dress - there was not one sash. "Ah, Ivan Tsarevich," says the beauty, "give me the sash!" "Tell me first, where is my mother?" - "Your mother lives with my father - with Raven Voronovich. Go up the sea, you will come across a silver bird - a golden tuft: where it flies, you go there too!"
Ivan Tsarevich gave her the sash and went up the sea; Here I met my brothers, greeted them and took them with me.
They walk along the shore, they saw a silver bird - a golden crest and ran after it. The bird flew, flew and rushed under the iron slab, into the underground pit. “Well, brothers,” says Ivan Tsarevich, “bless me instead of a father, instead of a mother: I will go down into this pit and find out what the land of the infidel is like, is our mother not there!” The brothers blessed him, he tied himself with a rope, and climbed into that deep hole, and descended neither more nor less - exactly three years; descended and went down the road.
Walking, walking, walking, I saw a copper kingdom: thirty-three spoonbill girls were sitting in the courtyard, embroidering towels with cunning patterns - cities with suburbs. "Hello, Ivan Tsarevich! - says the princess of the copper kingdom. - Where are you going, where are you going?" - "I'm going to look for my mother!" - "Your mother is with my father, with Raven Voronovich; he is cunning and wise, he flew through the mountains, through the dales, through the dens, through the clouds! He will kill you, good fellow,! Here's a ball for you, go to my middle sister - what is she he'll tell you. And if you go back, don't forget me!"
Ivan Tsarevich rolled the ball and followed him. He comes to the silver kingdom, and there sit thirty-three spoonbill maidens. The princess of the silver kingdom says: “Before the village, the Russian spirit was not seen, not heard, but now the Russian spirit is manifested with one’s own eyes! What, Ivan Tsarevich, are you whining about business or trying things?” - "Ah, red maiden, I'm going to look for my mother!" - "Your mother is with my father, with Raven Voronovich; and he is cunning, and wise, he flew through the mountains, through the dales, through the dens, through the clouds rushed! Eh, prince, because he will kill you! Here is a ball for you, go on you to my younger sister - what will she tell you: whether to go forward, whether to return back?
Ivan Tsarevich comes to the golden kingdom, and thirty-three spoonbill girls are sitting here, embroidering towels. Above all, better than all, the princess of the golden kingdom is such a beauty that one cannot say in a fairy tale, nor write with a pen. She says: "Hello, Ivan Tsarevich! Where are you going, where are you going?" - "I'm going to look for my mother!" - "Your mother is with my father, with Voron Voronovich; and he is cunning, and wiser, he flew through the mountains, through the dales, through the dens, through the clouds rushed. Eh, prince, he will kill you! : your mother lives there. Seeing you, she will rejoice and immediately order: "Nanny-mothers, give my son some green wine!" But don't take it, ask her to give you three-year-old wine that is in the cupboard, and a burnt crust for a snack Don't forget: my father has two vats of water in the yard - one strong water and the other weak, move them from place to place and drink strong water, and when you fight with Raven Voronovich and defeat him, ask him only for a staff -feather".
For a long time, the prince and the princess talked and fell in love with each other so much that they did not want to part, but there was nothing to do - Ivan Tsarevich said goodbye and set off on his way.
Walked, walked, comes to the pearl kingdom. When his mother saw him, she was overjoyed and shouted: "Mothers-nannies! Give my son some green wine!" - "I do not drink simple wine, give me a three-year-old, and a burnt crust for a snack!" The prince drank the three-year-old wine, ate the burnt crust, went out into the wide courtyard, rearranged the vats from place to place and began to drink strong water.
Suddenly Raven Voronovich arrives; he was bright as a clear day, but he saw Ivan Tsarevich - and became gloomier than a dark night; sank down to the vat and began to draw the helpless water.
Meanwhile, Ivan Tsarevich fell on his wings; Voron Voronovich soared high, high, carried him along the dales, and over the mountains, and over dens, and over the clouds, and began to ask: "What do you need, Ivan Tsarevich? Do you want to give the treasury?" - "I don't need anything, just give me a feather-staff!" - "No, Ivan Tsarevich! It hurts to sit in a wide sleigh!"
And again the Raven carried him over the mountains and over the valleys, over the dens and clouds. And Ivan Tsarevich holds on tight; leaned down with all his weight and almost broke off his wings. Raven Voronovich cried out: "Don't break my wings, take a feather-staff!" He gave the prince a staff-feather, he himself became a simple raven and flew to the steep mountains.
And Ivan Tsarevich came to the pearl kingdom, took his mother and went on his way back; looks - the pearl kingdom curled up in a ball and rolled after him.
He came to a golden kingdom, then to a silver one, and then to a copper one, took with him three beautiful princesses, and those kingdoms curled up in balls and rolled after them. Approaches the rope and blew a golden trumpet: "Brothers, if I'm alive, don't extradite me!"
The brothers heard the trumpet, grabbed the rope and pulled out into the world a soul - a red maiden, a princess of copper kingdom; they saw her and began to quarrel among themselves: one does not want to give her to the other. "What are you fighting, good fellows! There is a red maiden even better than me!" - says the princess of the copper kingdom.
The princes lowered the rope and pulled out the princess of the silver kingdom. Again they began to argue and fight; one says: "Let me get it!" And the other: "I don't want to! Let mine be!" - "Do not quarrel, good fellows, there is a girl even more beautiful than me," says the princess of the silver kingdom.
The princes stopped fighting, lowered the rope and pulled out the princess of the golden kingdom. Again they began to quarrel, but the beautiful princess immediately stopped them: "Your mother is waiting there!"
They pulled out their mother and lowered the rope behind Ivan Tsarevich; lifted it up to half and cut off the rope. Ivan Tsarevich flew into the abyss and was badly hurt - he lay unconscious for half a year; waking up, looked around, remembered everything that had happened to him, took a feather-staff from his pocket and hit it on the ground. At the same moment, twelve fellows appeared: "What, Ivan Tsarevich, do you order?" - "Bring me out into the open world!" The fellows grabbed him by the arms and carried him out into the open.
Ivan Tsarevich began to scout about his brothers and found out that they had long been married: the princess from the copper kingdom married her middle brother, the princess from the silver kingdom married her older brother, and his bride-to-be did not marry anyone. And the old father himself decided to marry her: he gathered a thought, accused his wife of holding a council with evil spirits, and ordered to cut off her head; after the execution, he asks the princess from the golden kingdom: "Will you marry me?" - "Then I'll go for you when you sew me shoes without measurements!"
The king ordered the cry to be called, to ask everyone and everyone: will anyone sew shoes for the princess without measurement? At that time, Ivan Tsarevich comes to his state, is hired by an old man as a worker and sends him to the tsar: "Go, grandfather, take over this business. I'll sew shoes for you, but don't tell me!" The old man went to the king: "I am ready to take up this work!"
The king gave him goods for a pair of shoes and asked: "Will you please, old man?" - "Do not be afraid, sovereign, I have a son chebotar!"
Returning home, the old man gave the goods to Ivan Tsarevich, who cut the goods into pieces, threw them out the window, then opened the golden kingdom and took out the finished shoes: “Here, grandfather, take it, take it to the king!”
The king was delighted, sticks to the bride: "Is it soon to go to the crown?" She replies: "Then I'll go for you when you sew" a dress without measurements for me!
The tsar is busy again, gathers all the artisans to himself, Gives them a lot of money, only to have a dress sewn without measurements. Ivan Tsarevich says to the old man: "Grandfather, go to the king, take the fabric, I'll sew a dress for you, but don't tell me!"
The old man trudged to the palace, took the satin and velvet, returned home and gave it to the prince. Ivan Tsarevich immediately cut all the satin and velvet into shreds with scissors and threw them out the window; opened the golden kingdom, took from there whatever was the best dress and gave it to the old man: "Bring it to the palace!"
Tsar Radehonek: "Well, my beloved bride, isn't it time for us to go to the crown?" The princess answers: "Then I will marry you, when you take the old man's son and tell him to boil it in milk!" The king did not hesitate, gave the order - and on the same day they collected a bucket of milk from all the yards, poured a large vat and boiled over high heat.
They brought Ivan Tsarevich; he began to say goodbye to everyone, to bow to the ground; they threw him into a vat: he dived once, dived again, jumped out and became so handsome that he couldn’t tell in a fairy tale or write with a pen. The princess says: "Look, king! Whom should I marry: for you, the old one, or for him, a good fellow?" The king thought: "If I bathe in milk, I will become just as handsome!" He threw himself into a vat and boiled in milk.
And Ivan Tsarevich went with the princess to get married; married, he sent his brothers out of the kingdom and began to live and live with the princess and make good.
Vasnetsov V.M. Three princesses of the underworld.
1884. The second option. Canvas, oil. 173 x 295. Museum of Russian Art, Kyiv, Ukraine.