What is happening in Konstantin Makovsky’s painting ‘Boyar Wedding Feast’?
Alexander II’s favorite artist sold this painting for a fabulous 60,000 rubles (which would be around $850,000 today)! Let’s figure out what it’s about and what’s happening on it.
Living pictures
Konstantin Makovsky was a master of the historical genre – his paintings with scenes from boyar life were highly valued in Russia and abroad. In 1899, at the World Exhibition in Paris, his works created a real sensation and were awarded the Gold Medal. And, for the painting ‘The Death of Ivan the Terrible’, the artist was awarded the ‘Legion of Honor’.
He also collected antiques. He bought everything he liked or could use as props while working on his paintings: clothes, jewelry, dishes, fabrics and utensils. He also used them to create so-called “living pictures”, a fashionable form of entertainment at that time. They were staged at court celebrations, in theaters, fashionable salons and even in street theaters. For this, the entourage of a particular canvas was carefully reproduced and the guests, dressed in appropriate costumes, took their places “in the frame”.
Makovsky was carried away by “living pictures” with the same passion with which he painted his boyar canvases. The artist’s son Sergei recalled that his father “really imagined a historical painting as a frozen scene, played out by actors of suitable appearance in the clothes of the era.” Interestingly, “living pictures” sometimes gave birth to paintings.
This is exactly what happened with the ‘Boyar Wedding Feast’. This subject was so popular that a “living picture” was presented especially for Emperor Alexander III in the house of Princess Anna Naryshkina. And they continued to reproduce it even after the picture was painted and sold. For example, the “living picture” of the feast was captured by photographer Andrei Karelin, with whom the artist was acquainted.
Boyars, do not move
Konstantin Makovsky also depicted one of the most solemn ceremonies – the wedding of representatives of two boyar families. In historical documents, it was described as follows: “And the tsar and tsarina sit at the tables and the boyars and the wedding rank at their tables and they begin to carry food and eat and drink until the third dish, a swan, is brought and placed on the table.”
Everything in the painting points to the luxury of the celebration: the painting of the chambers, the men in brocade caftans, the women's kokoshniks strewn with precious stones – the painting is literally drowning in golden radiance.
The roasted swan, which a servant brings out, indicates that the feast is nearing its end and the newlyweds will soon go to their bedroom. The chicken lying on the plate in front of the newlyweds also testifies to this: According to tradition, they did not eat at the wedding, but only fortified themselves with roast poultry. The bride is clearly embarrassed and the matchmaker has to slightly push her towards the groom so that she will respond to the kiss.
In the images of the newlyweds, the artist depicted himself and his second wife, Julia. And the curious boy looking at the newlyweds was inspired by their son, Seryozha.
Step into the frame
In the Winter of 1883, the painting was presented at the Kononov auction house in St. Petersburg and then at the Moscow Society of Art Lovers. Makovsky carefully thought out the scenography of the exhibition: viewers passed through two dark rooms and entered a hall lit by gas lamps. Thanks to a special lighting system, visitors felt as if they were literally entering the painting!
In 1885, the artist received an honorary medal for ‘Boyar Feast’ at the World Exhibition in Antwerp.
The tsar couldn’t afford it
Famous philanthropist Pavel Tretyakov wanted to buy the painting, but the sum of 20,000 rubles seemed unthinkable to him. Alexander III also looked at it, but an offer from American jeweler Charles William Schumann turned out to be the most interesting. Without hesitation, he paid 15,000 dollars, which was equal to 60,000 thousand rubles at the time, for the work by the Russian artist!
For a long time, the canvas was displayed in the window of Schumann’s store in New York. Those who wanted to see it up close would pay an entrance fee and, over the course of several years, they collected $7,000. Schumann donated the money to charity. ‘Boyar’s Feast’ appeared on postcards and chocolate boxes – its fame was incredibly wide.
In the 20th century, the painting changed hands several times until it ended up in the collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post in the late 1960s. Along with the rest of her collection of Russian art, Makovsky’s masterpiece is housed in the Hillwood Museum in Washington, DC.
