featured-image

Boris K ustodiev, confined to a wheelchair due of illness, painted this cheerful canvas in the post-revolutionary year of 1918. He complained to one of his friends that , in Petrograd, because of the cold and hunger, "everyone is only talking about food a nd bread". In the painting, on the contrary, abundance reigned .

A portly merchant ’s wife in a rich dress with a brooch drinks tea from a saucer on the veranda. The table is bursting with food : a rich muffin, fruit, ripe watermelon, jam in a jar . A cat rubs against the he roine, hoping that the mistress will share something tasty.



Behind the merchant ’s wife one can sees the houses and churches of a provincial town . B ehind the fence , a neighboring family is also gathered at the table for tea. T he canvas - 120 by 120 cm - a lot of details.

Working on it, Kustodiev turned to memories of the years spent in his native Astrakhan, the patriarchal way of life with fairs, festiv ities and gatherings . Model next door A model for the painting was quickly found - she turned out to be the Kustodievs' neighbor in Petrograd, a student at the Medical Institute, Baroness Galina Aderkas. She belonged to an old noble family, but she did not advertise her origin s .

She spent her chil d hood in Khabarovsk, studied at a gymnasium and , in 1917 , entered the Petrograd Women's Medical Institute. Soon , she got acquainted with the Kustodievs. The artist painted the portrait quickly, in just a few days, adding additional volume to the A.

Back to Beauty Page