Author:
Korovin, K. A. (1861-1932)
Title: At
the Tea-Table
Date: 1888
Media: Oil
on canvas
Size: 48,5 х 60,5 cm
Provenance:
The Museum Estate of V.D.Polenov,
Accession number:
Subject: Korovin - Outdoor tea-drinking – Social gathering - Samovar-
Group portrait -Gentry - Still life - Impressionism
Afternoon
tea of close friends at dacha of the artist V.D. Polenov. It is a widespread
tradition of having tea at a terrace of a country house during a summer time.
The painting conveys warmth of friendship, poetry of sensible human being,
modest steady private life full of intellectual interests, and harmony of
everyday being. Still life on the table with the samovar in the center creates
a sense of unity. The samovar sparkles with greenish and golden reflections and
determines emotional atmosphere of the moment.
Author: Maksimov, V.M. (1844 –
1911)
Title: All in the past
Date: 1889
Media: Oil on canvas
Size: 72 x 93 cm
Provenance: Tretyakov Gallery,
Accession
number:
Subject: Maksimov - Outdoor tea-drinking – Samovar- Portrait –
Landscape - Realism
This
is the world of broken nobility. The feeble old proprietress
of the beautiful house remembers happy fays. She forgot about evening
tea served on the tea table. The gilded cups and plates, rich table
appointments make a contrast with the ramshackle nest of the gentry. Her
companion, an old peasant woman whiles away the time near her barunya and continues
to provide tea drinking ritual. An expensive samovar is a remainder of former
affluence. It symbolizes glimmering life and yet the order of the life.
Author: Kustodiev, B.K. (1878-1927)
Title: The Merchant’s wife on the Balcony
Date: 1918
Media: Oil on canvas
Size: 120
x 120 cm
Provenance: The
Accession
number:
Subject: Kustodiev - Outdoor tea-drinking – Samovar- Merchant - Portrait - Still life – Landscape - Folk
painting
Peace
and comfort are associated with Russian tea-drinking ceremony. Expensive
samovar, a teapot of highly glazed pottery, painted with gold, the same kind of
cup, the table appointments, - everything says, that on the picture is a
wealthy woman. She is beautiful, pink-cheeked, and stout. She drinks tea in a
merchants’ style – from the saucer. Insouciance and peace of tea-drinking time
are emphasized with blue sky behind the terrace. Nothing implies that it is time
of Revolution with its stormy events.
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Author: Perov, V.G. (1833
Title: Tea-Drinking
in Mytishchi, Near
Date: 1862
Media: Oil on canvas
Size: 43,5 х 37,3 cm
Provenance: Tretyakov Gallery,
Accession number: #32522
Subject: Perov - Outdoor tea-drinking – Samovar- Parson – Group portrait – Genre painting – Realism
– “Peredvizhniki”
It
was a custom for wealthy worshippers on pilgrimage from
Author: Korzukhin, A.I.
(1835-1894)
Title: Sunday
Date: 1884
Media:
Oil on canvas
Size: 1884
Provenance:
Accession
number:
Subject:
Korzukhin - Outdoor
tea-drinking – Social gathering -
Samovar- Landscape - Realism
Outdoor leisure time never
was spent without tea-drinking. For picnic in the spring or in the summer
townsfolk took samovars in suburban parks. A table-cloth was spread out on a
grass, a simple food was pulled out from baskets, and samovar was set up on the
special pedestal.
Author: Kustodiev,
B.K. (1878-1927)
Title: At the
Terrace (Group Portrait of the Artist’s Family)
Date: 1906
Media: Oil on canvas
Size: 175 x 200
Provenance: The State
Accession
number:
Subject: Kustodiev -
Outdoor tea-drinking – Family - Samovar-
Gentry – Group portrait – Impressionism
A
deep traditional feature of Russian tea-drinking is that that it always served
to the goal of a family reunion, when all members - old and young - gathered
around the samovar. Thus, Russian tea ceremony helped to strengthen the family
relationships, to find mutual understanding between different generations. At
the tea table the family gets imbued with atmosphere of peace and love.
B.Kustodiev wrote, “One says that Russian way of life had died… It’s rubbish!
Life cannot be killed, because life is a human being.”