Kissing ceremony. Canvas, oil. Konstantin Makovsky (1839-1915)

Description of Vladimir Makovsky’s painting The Kissing Rite

In distant times, Russia had a large number of rituals and traditions that carried deep meaning for the people of the time, passed from generation to generation and were strictly observed by all the inhabitants. K. E. Makovsky’s depiction of "The Kissing Rite" is based on the novel by A. K. Tolstoy. K. Tolstoy’s novel "The Silver Prince". Parameters of the painting 300 x 500 cm, canvas, oil, 1895.

The author has depicted the kissing ritual, a ritual by which the hosts honored their guests by expressing their esteem. This ritual appears around the 15th-17th centuries. After the rich meal, the master’s wife would go out to the guests with her daughters and servants. For the ritual, she would dress up in her best clothes and jewelry in order to present the guests with a cup of drink. Leaning her lips against the cup, she gave it to the guest. After the guest drank the contents, he should kiss the hostess and her daughters on the cheek.

The artist portrayed the ritual very accurately, pronounced and vividly. The painting is painted in bright and luminous colors. The actions described in the painting take place in a luxurious hall. At the center of the plot is a festive table, at which the master of the house and his guests sit. Apparently, the feast is coming to an end and it is time for a ritual. The host’s wife and daughters stand apart, trying not to look up at the guest of the house, they are ready for the ritual kiss, meanwhile the guest is already reaching for the cup filled with drink. The husband and his entourage are watching the women closely.

Makovsky painted a stunning painting, a masterpiece in Russian painting, which has been admired and will be admired for generations after us.