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A BOYAR WEDDING FEAST

Creator(s): Konstantin Egorovich Makovskii (Artist)

On view in: Pavilion


About this object

This large painting depicts one of the most important social and political events of old Russia, a wedding uniting two families of the powerful boyar class that dominated Muscovite politics in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The artist has singled out that moment during the wedding feast when the guests toast the bridal couple with the traditional chant of "gor’ko, gor’ko," meaning "bitter, bitter," a reference to the wine, which has supposedly turned bitter. The newlywed couple must kiss to make the wine sweet again. The toast occurs towards the end of the feast when a roasted swan is brought in, the last dish presented before the couple retires.

The scene takes place in a room very reminiscent of those in an old palace in the Kremlin. Various men and women in elaborate costumes of the period are grouped around a table in the center. The bride and groom stand at the right. In center background is a side board on which rests silver plate and to the left of this a servant brings in a cooked swan on a large platter. At left foreground is an ivory chest on which stands an enameled silver bowl. Various pieces of silver are on the table. The guests raise their glasses in a toast, while the matchmaker stands behind the bride and encourages her.

Object name:
A BOYAR WEDDING FEAST
Made from:
oil on canvas
Made in:
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Date made:
1883
Size:
Framed: 100 1/4 × 161 in. (254.6 × 408.9 cm) Unframed: 93 × 154 in. (236.2 × 391.2 cm)

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:
51.79
Class:
PAINTING
Signature marks:
SIGNATURE; DATE K. Makovskii. [in Cyrillic] / 1883. [Bottom right]
Credit line:
Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973