Three princesses of the underworld Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926)

Description of Victor Vasnetsov’s painting "Three Princesses of the Underground Kingdom".

Victor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov painted this painting under the order of Savva Mamontov, who at the time held the post of chairman of the Donetsk railroad. The plot of the painting is allegorical. The fairy tsarevnas are the embodiment of riches buried in the thickness of the earth. In the legends of the Russian people there were only two tsarevnas - of gold and precious stones (some sources call her copper one). Especially for the customers-railway workers Vasnetsov introduces a tsarevna of coal into the plot.

The background is diagonally divided into two almost equal parts. The ground, rocks and huge boulders are depicted at the bottom, while the upper part is given for the image of the evening sky. The colors of the land and sky form a sharp contrast. This creates a sense of foreboding, excitement and tension.

In the foreground we see three female figures. These are the princesses of the underworld. By their poses and facial expressions we can determine how the girls relate to people and the earthly world. The Golden Princess is stern and haughty, her gaze downcast. The Brass Princess is more supportive; she curiously examines her new surroundings. The older sisters are dressed in rich outfits appropriate to their high status. Their bodies are slightly turned toward each other, forming a unified group. It is as if the princesses are at one in their attitude to what is going on.

But the younger sister, the Coal Princess, looks frightened, pale, timid, and more human because of this. It is obvious that she finds it hardest to part with her native home. The Coal Princess’s costume is more unpretentious, containing almost nothing of the luxury of her sisters’ clothes. Her arms are lowered helplessly along her body. The other Princesses have their arms majestically crossed in front of them. In the lower left corner of the painting are figures of two muzhiks, obsequiously bowing before the subterranean mistresses. It is known that Vasnetsov finished painting these characters much later, when the main idea of the picture has been embodied on the canvas.