“Peter II and Tsesarevna Elizabeth on a dog hunt” by Valentin Serov is a vivid impression of the favorite pastime of the Romanov family
“Peter II and Tsesarevna Elizabeth on a dog hunt” – a painting by Valentin Alexandrovich Serov, intended to illustrate the book dedicated to the hunting amusements of Russian tsars. The author depicted a brilliant cavalcade, in front of which the daughter of Peter the Great and his 14-year-old grandson are rushing side by side. The attention of the young sovereign is riveted to a bold, luxurious woman. All living things obey a single impulse: a skinny greyhound, a flock of frightened birds, soldiers in red uniforms. Hair, plumes and tails flutter.
Royal persons rush past a wanderer with a birch staff. The movement originates in the upper left part of the picture, where the peasant huts and the church are visible. The viewer’s attention is drawn to the graceful figures of Elizabeth and Peter on powerful horses. Everything speaks of their passion and youthful enthusiasm. In the depths of the landscape, parallel to the exit, a white village dog rushes.
Name of the painting: “Peter II and Tsesarevna Elizabeth on a dog hunt.”
Author: Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (1865-1911).
Year of writing: 1900
Size: 41 x 40 cm.
Style: Realism.
Genre: Historical, household.
Technique: Gouache, tempera.
Material: Paper on cardboard.
Location: State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.
Valentin Serov is a famous Russian artist of the late XIX – early XX centuries.
Creating a picture intended to illustrate the four-volume “Royal Hunt”, he used an unusual technique for himself, close to impressionism. Full title of the work: “Emperor Peter II with Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna riding out of the village. Izmailov in autumn for dog hunting. All the characters – horses, dogs, people and even the landscape – serve to create an impression of the wild fun that the young Romanovs indulge in.
The painting “Peter II and Tsesarevna Elizabeth on a dog hunt” by Valentin Serov was kept for a long time in the personal collection of General N. I. Kutepov, who was responsible for publishing the book. After his death, she passed to Nicholas II, who presented the work as a gift to the Russian Museum.
