Valentin Serov. Girl with peaches.
1887. Oil on canvas. 91×85 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. Wikimedia Commons

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Sometimes it's better not to know the life history of character prototypes famous works. The girl with peaches in reality lived only 32 years (she died of pneumonia), her husband did not marry again, and three children remained. The future in the eyes of the heroine of the painting by Valentin Serov is not readable. She does not even show that she is the daughter of a wealthy industrialist.

1 girl. The mischievous character of Vera Mamontova is read both in her sly look and in the fold of her lips - and look she will laugh. Disheveled hair, a blush all over her face, a flaming earlobe indicate that she has just been running around the yard. And in a minute he will jump up and run further. Nevertheless, this was her first experience of prolonged posing. Art historian Eleanor Paston says: “It is believed that Vrubel gave her external features to “Snow Maiden”, “Egyptian”, Tamara in the illustrations for “Demon”. Vera Savvishna was eventually nicknamed the "Abramtsevo goddess". Her portraits were also painted by Vasnetsov (“Girl with a Maple Branch”, “Boyaryshnya”).

2 blouses. On Faith casual wear, albeit decorated with a bright bow. The loose blouse feels a bit baggy and too childish for an 11 year old girl. The fact that she does not change clothes specifically for posing emphasizes the spontaneity of the situation and the simplicity of the relationship. The pink blouse becomes the brightest and most festive accent of the picture, and it seems that the light comes not only from the window, but also from the heroine.

3 room. The scene is the dining room of the Mamontovs in the Abramtsevo estate, one of the enfilade rooms.

4 table. There were always a lot of people at the large extendable table - family members and friends. Eleanor Paston says that Serov often worked here.

5 peaches grown in the Mammoth greenhouse. The family bought trees for her in the estates of Artemovo and Zhilkino in 1871. The peaches were grown by the Artyomovsky gardener, whom the Mamontovs invited to their place after he sold them the trees.

6 Maple leaves. Serov finished work on the portrait in September. The yellowing foliage outside the window and on the table is evidence of the girl's long patience. In addition, autumn maple leaves next to summer peaches seem to remind you that life is fleeting, and you should rejoice while you are young and the sun is shining.

7 grenadier. Toy wooden soldier in the left corner - the product of Sergiev Posad handicraftsmen. According to Elena Mitrofanova, Deputy Director for Science at the Abramtsevo Museum-Reserve, the Mamontovs bought the toy at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in 1884. The figurine was unpainted, Serov painted it. In the Abramtsevo Museum there is even a sketch of the painting made by the artist. The grenadier is still on the bedside table in the same corner.

8 red living room. The next room, part of which is visible on the left, is the so-called Red Drawing Room, where writers and artists, friends of the Mamontovs, gathered. There they read the works of Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev by roles, played music, discussed.

9 chairs. Solid mahogany chairs went to the Mamontovs from the Aksakovs along with the tradition of artistic gatherings. The two that stand by the window - with lyre-shaped backs - were very fashionable in early XIX century, and at the end of it have already turned into antiques. A jacob chair is visible in the Red Drawing Room. Similar furniture of strict straight outlines, with gilded brass inserts, appeared in Russia under Catherine II. In Abramtsevo, both the lyre chairs and the jacob, which still stands in the Red Drawing Room, have been preserved.

10 dining room windows, as well as the terrace adjacent to the Red Living Room, overlooks the Abramtsevsky Park, on the alley named Gogolevskaya in honor of the writer who loved to walk here. It can be seen that the window frames are far from new, the paint on them has peeled off in some places. This adds to the picture of naturalness and a sense of that comfort that can only be experienced in "native walls".

11 plate. Savva Mamontov was fond of applied arts. In 1889, he even opened a pottery workshop at the estate, in which ceramics were created using the majolica technique. In particular, Vrubel was engaged in this. The fate of the plate depicted by Serov two years before the opening of the workshop is unknown, but it is so harmoniously inscribed in the interior that later another majolica plate appeared on the same wall, already from the Mamontovs' workshop. It still hangs in the dining room at this place.

On an August day in 1887, 11-year-old Vera Mamontova, distracted from street games, ran into the house and sat down at the table, grabbing a peach. Her cheerful appearance impressed Valentin Serov so much that he invited the girl to pose. The artist knew the model from infancy. He often visited and even lived for a long time at the Abramtsevo estate of the Mamontovs, which they bought from the daughter of the writer Sergei Aksakov in 1870. Even under the Aksakovs, the estate was the center of the Russian cultural life. Under the Mammoth tradition continued. Turgenev, Repin, Vrubel, Antokolsky stayed here... Abramtsevo was both a “house of creativity” and a place where friends gathered in an atmosphere of home comfort.

For the first time Serov was brought to Abramtsevo by his mother-composer in 1875. He grew up with the older children of the Mamontovs, constantly enduring their pranks. The younger Vera also made fun of the young Serov. Everything changed in 1887 when the 22-year-old artist returned from Italy inspired by sunny landscapes and Renaissance masterpieces. Then Serov, according to his memoirs, had a dope in his head and a desire to "write only gratifying." Until recently, the artist was an unwitting participant in Vera's games, and now she, who until now no one could force to sit still, posed for him for hours every day for almost two months. On the part of the girl, it was a tribute to a kindred close relationship. And the painting was "a kind of Serov's gratitude to the warmth and comfort of the Mamontovs' house, which became a second family for the artist," says Eleonora Paston, doctor of art history, senior researcher at the Tretyakov Gallery.

“There are creations of the human spirit, the intentions of their creators that outgrow many times over ... These ... must include that amazing Serov's portrait. From the etude “girl in pink”... it has grown into one of the most remarkable works of Russian painting,” wrote the artist Igor Grabar about the painting.

Valentin Serov presented the painting to Vera's mother, Elizaveta Mamontova, and for a long time the portrait was in Abramtsevo, in the same room where it was painted. Now a copy hangs there, and the original is exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Model

Depicted in the picture, Vera Savvishna Mamontova (October 20, 1875 - December 27, 1907) is the daughter of Savva Ivanovich Mamontov and his wife Elizaveta Grigorievna.

In 1896 (when Vera was 21 years old), Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov painted another portrait of her - “Girl with a Maple Branch”. In addition, Serov painted several more portraits of Praskovya Mamontova, Vera Mamontova's cousin.

Vasnetsov V. M. Girl with a maple branch (Portrait of Vera Savvishna Mamontova)
1896 Wikimedia Commons

In November 1903, in Moscow, she married A. D. Samarin. After honeymoon trip In Italy, the young settled in their house in the city of Bogorodsk. Three children were born in the marriage:

* son Yuri (1904-1965) - a philologist, was suspected of collaborating with the OGPU during the repressions. This fact is largely confirmed in Alexei Artsybushev's autobiographical book "Mercy of the Door";

* daughter Elizabeth, married Chernysheva (1905-1985) - author of memoirs;

* son Sergei (1907-1913).

Five years after the wedding, at the end of December 1907, at the age of 32, she fell ill with pneumonia and died three days later. She was buried in Abramtsevo near the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands.

Artist
Valentin Alexandrovich Serov

Self-portrait. 1901
Wikimedia Commons

1865 - Born in St. Petersburg.
1874 - Began taking painting lessons from Repin in Paris.
1880 - Entered the Academy of Arts.
1887 - Traveled to Vienna and Italy. Wrote "Girl with Peaches".
1894 - Became a member of the Association of the Wanderers.
1900 - Joined the association "World of Art".
1903 - Elected a full member of the Academy of Arts.
1905 - Resigned from the Academy in protest against the execution of the demonstration on January 9, accusing the president of the Academy (and at the same time the commander of the troops of the St. Petersburg Military District) of organizing it.
1908 - Elected a full member of the Vienna Secession.
1911 - Died in Moscow of a heart attack.

Picture painted: 1887
Canvas, oil.
Size: 91 × 85 cm

Description of the artwork "Girl with peaches" by V. Serov

Artist: Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov
Name of the painting: "Girl with peaches"
Picture painted: 1887
Canvas, oil.
Size: 91 × 85 cm

V. Serov grew up in creative environment, where the talent of his composer-father A. Serov flourished. By the way, the parent himself liked to stand at the easel, and the boy had the opportunity to take painting lessons from I. Repin himself. The atmosphere of creation and the constant presence of the "stars" of art of that time in the house were familiar to the future artist, so he did not even dream of fame, because he was used to it.

The father had the opportunity and means to send his son to master the intricacies of painting in Paris, and later - in Abramtsevo. There, in the estate of the philanthropist and industrialist Savva Mamontov, delicious peaches grew, Vera's daughter played, and such artists as Polenov, Repin, Vasnetsov and Ostroukhov visited.

The painting "Girl with Peaches" appeared from under the brush of Serov, quite by accident, like everything unique. Verochka Mamontova was a favorite not only of her relatives, but also of numerous representatives of Bohemia, taken under the wing of her father. He was a lively, restless and sociable child, whose immediacy was hard to resist. But even then Serov was treated ambiguously. Some said that his work was not art at all, but the PR of Mamontov, who was familiar with his father, some argued that his canvases were too traditional and realistic, but later critics and art critics started talking about an innovative approach that rejected the routine laws of painting that time.

No matter what anyone thinks, Serov painted a portrait of Vera Mamontova at the age of 22. He was only 10 years older than the heroine of his picture, and all the people visiting Savva were simply surprised how he managed to keep the girl in place. The work was named simply and concisely - "V.M." and became a discovery at the exhibition of 1887, which amazed absolutely everyone. The public of our days still cannot figure out who the artist depicted - a captivating woman or an early matured girl, because this portrait was already considered impressionistic then - there is too much light and unconscious half-childish freshness in it. It is the last factor that has not let go of the audience for more than a hundred years, it is filled with clean air garden, Vera's restlessness attracts admirers from all over the world.

The most difficult thing in Serov's work was to keep Vera in one place. He recalled that he worked on the picture for a very long time, trying to write out the details, but it seems to the viewer that it was written in a few seconds. A pink blouse of a dark-skinned girl with a black bow, a white tablecloth and peaches accidentally thrown on the table create a sense of the moment of what is happening. You probably immediately came to mind Repin's Dragonfly, and this is no coincidence - the artist took only the best from the master. The furnishings of an old manor - clocks, chairs, windows - seem to be not just part of the interior, but part of summer day outside the window. The gentle color of Verochka's pink blouse is distinguished by lightness and freedom - it seems to be made of the smallest cobwebs. The tablecloth on the table is white only at first glance, because if you look closely, you will see overflows of blue, gold, even dark shades. The light of the sun outside the window not only invigorates, but also fills the room with joy, falls from the windows and fills the entire volume of the room. Its glare slides over the girl's face, which is why there are overflows of mother-of-pearl on the blouse and on the tablecloth.

The whole canvas is a source of life and an example of the upbringing of noble children of those times. The tablecloth was wrapped and neatly laid on top so that the edges do not hang from the chair. Usually they did this if there was a child in the family - it was difficult for him to grab the tablecloth with his hands and pull it towards himself. Such a lapel was occupied by peaches, a knife and a few maple leaves. Most likely, Vera got these things: a knife can cut fruit, and maple leaves are quite capable of replacing plates. There are a lot of peaches - there are always a lot of people in the house, and everyone needs to be treated. The last one is the rule. good manners, which was instilled in girls from intelligent families with mother's milk.

Vera's face cannot be called a traditionally Russian type. It intertwined unusual oriental, or even gypsy features with a typical manner of looking ahead, characteristic of Russians. The latter is not surprising - the girl's mother had Italian roots, and her father to the last was distinguished by true Moscow business acumen. Nevertheless, Elizaveta Mamontova (Vera's mother) did not differ in beauty, but her daughter in the picture is charm and spontaneity itself. Looking at her tousled dark hair and eyes looking to the side, we can say that this girl is an informal leader among the kids. It seems that she just popped into the dining room for a moment to give Serov the opportunity to make a few sketches of the portrait and, grabbing peaches, rush off into the yard. This living child with burning black eyes, tanned in the Abramtsevo sun, seems to affirm life itself.

The impressionistic motifs of the painting can be traced not only in the airy purity of space and the fleetingness of the moment, but also in the game sunlight, which in a strange way combined with a thoughtfully completed composition. The figure of Verochka is successfully inscribed in the atmosphere of the dining room, it seems quite natural, and light and air fill not only the dining room, but also the world outside the window.

The picture does not leave anyone indifferent - its color is fresh, the image is harmonious, and artistic images surprisingly combined with the truth of life. Among the techniques of impressionism in painting, Serov used free vibrating strokes - this is how the play of chiaroscuro was transmitted.

"Peach Girl" got married, had three children, her marriage seemed successful, and future life- happy, but ... A year before the death of her mother, Vera fell ill with pneumonia and died. She was only 32. The greenhouses, where Mamontov's gardeners grew delicious fruits, were dismantled in 1926, and the estate itself went under the hammer. On the ruins of a building that has seen the greatest creative people of their era, began to build a bright communist future. The wipe of Vera Mamontova, written by V. Serov, nevertheless, continues to sing the anthem of youth and purity to this day.

IN Lately image-based memes are gaining popularity classical painting. Knowledge of Internet folklore was demonstrated even by the President of Russia during a visit to the Tretyakov Gallery exhibition of paintings artist Valentin Serov. AiF.ru recalls the history of creation original works, which today are increasingly flickering in an unusual form.

Valentin Serov "Girl with Peaches"

One of the most famous portraits of women in Russian painting appeared due to a happy coincidence. Valentin Serov visited the estate Savva Mamontov, when his daughter, 12 years old, got excited by the street game Vera Mamontova and picked up a peach. The young artist invited the girl to pose, and after almost two months, "Girl with Peaches" appeared, embodying the author's idea. Nine years later, Serov painted another portrait of Vera Mamontova, calling it "Girl with a Maple Branch." The features of Vera appeared more than once in his works, but the fate of the “girl with peaches” itself was extremely tragic: at the age of 32, she fell ill with pneumonia and died.

His most famous painting is "Girl with Peaches" by artist Valentin Serov. copied by artists around the world pic.twitter.com/nqiRTVVuxN

Edvard Munch "Scream"

The most famous painting by the Norwegian Expressionist painter Edvard Munch"The Scream" was performed in four options created between 1893 and 1910. All canvases of this series are shrouded mystical stories, and the artist's intention has not yet been fully unraveled. There is a version that one of the main symbols of expressionism is actually the fruit of a manic-depressive psychosis from which the artist suffered. original name the painting sounded like “Cry of Nature”, and the artist himself wrote about his work: “I was walking along the road with friends. The sun was setting. The sky turned blood red. I was seized with sadness. I stood mortally tired against the background of dark blue. The fjord and the city hung in fiery flames. I got separated from my friends. Trembling with fear, I heard the cry of nature.

The Scream, Edvard Munch, 1893

Animated picture Scream, Edvard Munch - (Edward Munch). pic.twitter.com/rFzs0aUNrM

Victor Vasnetsov "Bogatyrs"

Today, Vasnetsov's painting "Bogatyrs" is considered a real folk masterpiece and a symbol of domestic art, but not everyone knows that before the picture of the Russian artist, in the minds of people, the images of the three heroes were never united - in folklore, the heroes of epics rarely intersected. Vasnetsov decided to embody the main features of the Russian character on canvas - Ilya Muromets personifies devotion to traditions, Dobrynya Nikitich - the readiness to defend the motherland with a sword, Alyosha Popovich - love of beauty. The artist could not complete the painting for a long time: he began to paint it in the early 1870s, and finished it only on April 23, 1898. It is possible that he would not have completed even then, if not for Pavel Tretyakov, who stopped Vasnetsov, saying that he was already ready to purchase the painting.

Leonardo da Vinci "Mona Lisa"

Leonardo da Vinci(full name of the canvas “Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo”) is one of the most famous paintings in the world. According to biographers french artist Madonna Lisa was the wife of a Florentine silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. On a portrait of a girl with enigmatic smile the artist spent as much as 4 years of his life, but left him unfinished. It is known that Leonardo did not shy away from working on the Mona Lisa (as was the case with many other orders), but, on the contrary, gave himself to her with some kind of passion. And even leaving Italy in adulthood, took the canvas with him to France, among several selected paintings.

Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci

Mood: Mona Lisa
I want to turn back time.
It's cold outside, but my heart has long been covered with frost. pic.twitter.com/scDE4gMUmd

— Santa_Sasanta (@MarysweetBerry) January 16, 2016

Grant Wood "American Gothic"

Painting American artist Grant Wood"American Gothic" is one of the most recognizable (and parodied) images in American art XX century. The famous sketch was a figment of the artist's imagination: in 1930, in the town of Eldon, Iowa, Wood noticed a small white carpenter's gothic house and wanted to capture people next to it who, in his opinion, could live there. Wood introduced " american gothic at a competition at the Art Institute of Chicago. Interestingly, the judges mistook it for a humorous valentine, and the people of Iowa were terribly offended by the artist for portraying them in such an unpleasant light.

Grant Wood "American Gothic"

"American Gothic" pic.twitter.com/p9dJQslZMx

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Ilya Repin "Barge haulers on the Volga"

Repin came up with the idea for the painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga” when, as a student, he saw barge haulers on Ust-Izhora, exhausted by work and pulling a heavy barge. The artist settled for the whole summer in one of the villages on the banks of the Volga, where he met eleven barge haulers. Repin was not only present at their work, he talked with everyone for a long time, trying to find out the history of life. I saw the sketches created during my stay on the Volga Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, he immediately singled out this work among others and ordered the canvas for himself. Later, the prince hung the picture in his own billiard room and told each guest with great pleasure about all the intricacies of the canvas, including the fate of the heroes.

Barge haulers on the Volga, Ilya Repin.

Salvador Dali "The Persistence of Memory"

The Persistence of Memory is one of the most famous paintings Salvador Dali, it is a kind of symbol of transience and relativity of temporary space. Paradoxical as it may seem, the idea of ​​painting a canvas about time came to the famous Spanish artist when he was thinking about melted cheese. Most often, Dali left notes about his work in his diaries, but not a word was found about the meaning and meaning of "The Persistence of Memory". This is probably why there are several theories of what exactly the author wanted to say with this picture. Nevertheless, his wife Gala quite correctly predicted that no one, once seeing The Persistence of Memory, would ever forget it.

Salvador Dali "The Persistence of Memory"

Salvador Dali. "The Persistence of Memory". The red cat "climbed" into the picture. pic.twitter.com/JqEUG9284L

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The picture of the classic of world painting Valentin Serov “Girl with Peaches” seems to be known to everyone, even people who are not interested in art. Your very own famous masterpiece the artist wrote when he was only 22 years old. Valentin Serov has repeatedly said that “Girl with Peaches” is his best picture. “All I wanted was freshness, that special freshness that you always feel in nature and you don’t see in pictures.” We have compiled a collection of facts about The Girl with Peaches.

10 interesting facts About "Girl with Peaches"

1. In the painting, Valentin Serov portrayed 11-year-old Vera Mamontova, the daughter of a Russian businessman and philanthropist Savva Mamontov. In the estate of their family in Abramtsevo, the artist often visited. He first met the Mamontovs when he was still a child. Tosha, as Serov was called in childhood, was brought by her mother (composer Valentina Semyonovna Serova) to Abramtsevo at the age of 10. Valentin knew Vera Mamontova from infancy.

The estate in Abramtsevo was the center of cultural life - Turgenev, Vrubel, Repin often visited here. Serov was a student of Ilya Repin. In the summer, they came to work in Abramtsevo more than once. The teacher and student somehow arranged a competition - who better draws Savva Mamontov, who agreed to pose for them. The philanthropist noted that Serov came out "Better, more vital, sharper." Somewhat discouraged, Repin replied that it was not in vain that he was working with him and advised Valentin to sign.

2 . Vera Serov wrote in a spacious dining room, one of the enfilade rooms of the estate. The artist often worked here. Vera was a terrible fidget. In August 1877, during the next visit of Serov to Abramtsevo, the girl ran in from the street and, grabbing a peach, sat down at the table. So this scene impressed Valentine that he asked the girl to pose for him. Faith patiently almost every day More than a month posed for the artist. After Serov said: "I wrote for more than a month and exhausted her, poor, to death, I really wanted to keep the freshness of painting with complete completeness - that's how the old masters." The artist worked with rapture and ruthlessly towards himself, if he did not like how it turns out, he cleaned off the paint and started again.

Valentin Serov, Girl with Peaches, 1887

3. The painting "Girl with Peaches" is filled with light and air. The fact that Vera is dressed in a simple blouse with a bow, and not dressed up specifically for the picture, emphasizes the spontaneity of the moment. The pink blouse is almost the brightest spot in the picture, it seems that the light comes not only from the window, but also from the girl herself.

4. The peaches depicted by the artist are grown in the Mamontov greenhouse. The family bought trees for her in 1871.

5. Behind Vera's right shoulder, on a pedestal, stands a toy wooden soldier. The figurine was painted by Serov. By the way, in the estate-museum in Abramtsevo, the toy still stands in the same place.

6. The painting was presented by Valentin Serov to Vera's mother, Elizaveta Mamontova, on her birthday. She really liked the portrait of Verochka, and this was the biggest reward for the painter. For a long time the picture hung in the same room where it was created.

7 . The work "Girl with Peaches" participated in the competition of the Moscow Society of Art Lovers. In total, there were 32 works by young artists in the competition. For the portrait of Vera Mamontova, Serov received the first in the amount of 200 rubles.

8 . Well-known philanthropist and collector Pavel Tretyakov saw The Girl with Peaches in the Mamontovs' house and wanted to purchase the painting. But the owners were not going to part with it. Then, for his gallery, Tretyakov bought for 300 rubles Serov's Girl Illuminated by the Sun (portrait of Masha Simanovich).

9. Vera Mamontov was written not only by Serov. In his paintings, Viktor Vasnetsov captured her in the paintings "Girl with a Maple Branch" and "Boyar".

Viktor Vasnetsov, Girl with a Maple Branch, 1896

10 . Unfortunately, further fate Vera Mamontova is sad. She married the leader of the Moscow nobility, Minister for Church Affairs Alexander Samarin. The marriage was happy. Vera gave birth to three children. But suddenly, at the age of 32, her life was cut short. She contracted pneumonia and died in 1907. She was buried in Abramtsevo near the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Vera's husband did not marry again, he built a temple in her honor Life-Giving Trinity in Averkievo.

11 . IN Tretyakov Gallery the painting "Girl with Peaches" (oil on canvas 91x85) came in 1929, it was bought from A. S. Mamontova. A copy of the work by Valentin Serov hangs in the museum-estate in Abramtsevo.

REFERENCE

Valentin Serov is a Russian painter and graphic artist. Born January 19, 1865 in St. Petersburg in the family of composers Alexander and Valentina Serov. In 1874 he began taking painting lessons from Ilya Repin in Paris. In 1880 he entered the Academy of Arts, went to continue his studies in Austria and Italy. In 1894 he became a member of the Association of the Wanderers.

Valentin Serov, Self-portrait, 1880s

Serov is known not only as an excellent painter and portrait painter, but also as theater artist. He created scenery and costumes for Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Seasons (in particular, he made sketches for the curtain for the ballet Scheherazade), and made the famous poster with the ballerina Anna Pavlova. In 1908, Serov was elected a full member of the Vienna Secession.

Drawing by Valentin Serov for a poster with Anna Pavlova in the ballet La Sylphide

The artist was married to Olga Trubnikova. They had six children - two daughters and four sons. Valentin Serov died in 1911 of a heart attack at the age of 46.

The material uses data from the book by Arkady Kudr "Valentin Serov" from the series "Life of Remarkable People".

To the birthday of Valentin Serov
"Girl with Peaches" Serov wrote all three summer months of 1887, while he was visiting Savva Mamontov in Abramtsevo. He wrote with difficulty: firstly, he barely persuaded Savva's daughter, 12-year-old Verochka Mamontova, to pose, and secondly, she could not sit at the table for hours in the heat without moving.
But the portrait worked. You could say he became calling card artist.

Vera Mamontov. Late 1880s.

How did the fate of the girl develop further?

Vera married Alexander Dmitrievich Samarin, the future chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod (Minister for Church Affairs) and marshal of the nobility of the city of Moscow. His popularity among Orthodox Muscovites was so great that when a metropolitan was elected in Moscow in the summer of 1917, among the candidates were: Archbishop Tikhon of Yaroslavl (later elected Patriarch) and layman Alexander Samarin.

The wedding took place on January 26, 1903 in Moscow on Povarskaya in the church of Boris and Gleb - this was the parish of the Samarins (they lived nearby on Povarskaya Street). Later, the church was destroyed by the Bolsheviks, now there is a chapel on this site - right next to the exit from the Arbatskaya metro station.
Everyone rejoiced for them - Samarin's parents long years did not give consent to his marriage with Vera, and only after the death of Alexander Dmitrievich's father, they were finally able to get married.
The newlyweds settled in their estate near the village of Averkievo, Pavlo-Posad district.

In April 1904, the Samarins had their first child, Yurochka.

Vera Savvishna Samarina (Mamontova) with her son Yuri, 1904.

In August 1905, the daughter Liza was born, in May 1907 - the second son, Sergei.
And on December 27, 1907, Vera Savvichna died suddenly from transient pneumonia. Burned out in three days. We gathered for Christmas with the whole family in Abramtsevo, stopped in transit at their Moscow house on Povarskaya and ...
She was buried in her beloved Abramtsevo, near the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
She was only 32 years old.
All cares for Vera's children were taken over by her sister Alexandra Savvishna.

AS Mamontova (first from the left) and Savva Mamontov with Vera's children - Seryozha, Liza and Yuri in Italy. 1910

Elizaveta Grigoryevna Mamontova with her grandchildren, Verochka's children - Elizaveta, Sergei, Yuri.

Alexander Dmitrievich outlived Vera by 25 years. He never married again.
In memory of his beloved wife, Samarin built the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in the village of Averkievo, not far from their estate.

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in the village of Averkievo, architect Bashkirov .

In the 30s, the temple was closed and looted, and all the years Soviet power used as a utility room, including storage of various chemicals. fertilizers.
Now, through the efforts of parishioners, sponsors and patrons, the temple is slowly being restored.

Alexander Dmitrievich himself died in the Gulag in 1932. All the years of the Yakut exile, his daughter, Liza, spent with him ...

In the first photo - A.D. Samarin with his daughter Liza in Yakut exile, 1926. on the second photo
A.D. Samarin with his daughter Lisa, 1905. (Photos from the family archive).

"Girl with a Maple Branch" V. Vasnetsov, 1896

Nine years after Serov's Girl with Peaches, another portrait of Vera was painted by Viktor Vasnetsov, promising to give it to her only if she marries a Russian...))
After the death of Vera, this picture always hung over the desk of Alexander Dmitrievich Samarin.