Vera Savvichna Mamontova is the daughter of the famous industrialist and magnate Savva Ivanovich Mamontov. Vera went down in the history of Russian painting as a model for the painting by artist Valentin Serov "Girl with Peaches". In addition to Serov, it was painted by artists Mikhail Vrubel, Viktor Vasnetsov, Nikolai Kuznetsov.
Childhood "girls with peaches"
Vera was born on October 20, 1875 in the family of the famous businessman and railway magnate Savva Ivanovich Mamontov and his wife Elizaveta Grigorievna. In addition to Vera, they already had three sons, and after her third birth, Elizaveta Grigorievna promised Savva Ivanovich that the next child would definitely be a girl. And so it happened. After three sons, the spouses Mamontov had two daughters - Vera and Alexandra. Vera was a long-awaited and beloved child in the family.
The Mamontovs' spouses chose the names for their children for a reason, but in such a way that the initial letters of the children's names made up the name of Savva: Sergei - Andrei - Vsevolod - Vera and Alexandra. Many considered this a merchant whim, but most likely this is how Elizaveta Grigorievna expressed her love for her husband.
The Mamontovs lived on Sadovo-Spasskaya Street, known to all cultural Moscow. In the summer, the family moved to their estate near Moscow, to the village of Abramtsevo, where a creative and joyful atmosphere always reigned. In 1870 Savva Ivanovich Mamontov bought this estate from the daughter of the Russian writer Sergei Aksakov. Even under the previous owners, the estate was the focus of cultural life. Under the Mamontovs, these traditions continued. The best creative people of that time came to the estate: famous artists and musicians, art critics and actors, historians and writers.
The Mamontovs visited the estate, and also worked such Russian artists: I. E. Repin, A. M. Vasnetsov, V. D. Polenov, P. P. Trubetskoy, I. S. Ostroukhov, V. A., M. A. Vrubel, M. V. Nesterov, K. A. Korovin, I. I. Levitan, singer F. I. Shalyapin, writer I. S. Turgenev.
As a child, Verusha (that was the name of her family) grew up a cheerful, restless, precocious girl. In Verochka, she was doted on and pampered not only by her father and mother, but also by all her friends and guests of their family.
Muse for artists
Vera's first experience in posing for the artist was the portrait of Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov "Girl with Peaches". When painting the picture, the artist himself was 22 years old - this is only ten years more than his model. Serov knew Verochka from childhood, they were friendly. At that time, Vera perceived the artist as an older friend. The novice painter hardly managed to persuade a restless, lively girl who was so drawn to take a walk and play pranks in the yard to pose. This portrait demanded a large number of sessions, and the artist then often told his muse that he was indebted to her.
When V. A. Serov presented "The Girl with Peaches" at the Moscow exhibition in 1887, the painting made a real sensation, immediately receiving approval from both the public and critics. Until now, in the history of Russian painting, this canvas is one of the most charming children's portraits, filled with sensations of light and morning freshness.
Vera soon began to be called "the Abramtsevo goddess." Vera Savvichna was the inspiration for the portraits of Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: "A Girl with a Maple Branch", "Boyarushnya". Also, the image of Vera Mamontova was displayed in Vasnetsov's painting "Alyonushka". Although another girl posed for her, an orphan from the village of Akhtyrka next to Abramtsev, Vera was the main source of inspiration.
Art critics believe that the facial features of Vera Mamontova are in the Vrubel's "Snow Maiden", "Egyptian" and Tamara in the illustrations for the painting "The Demon".
Personal life
From the middle of 1890 Vera Mamontova was active in social activities in schools and orphanages. She inherited this occupation from her mother Elizaveta Grigorievna, who did a lot to create schools, a hospital and craft workshops in the villages of Akhtyrka and Khotkovo (villages adjacent to Abramtsevo), in which peasants and their children would work. Raised among creative people, Vera Savvichna visited Moscow to lecture on history and literature. There she struck up an acquaintance with Sophia Samarina, the sister of her future husband.
Sophia and Vera became very friendly, and Mamontova became a frequent guest at the Samarin's house. The Samarins were representatives of an ancient noble family, related to the Trubetskoy, Volkonsky, Ermolov, Golitsyn, Obolensky, poet Zhukovsky.
Charming Vera immediately liked Alexander Dmitrievich Samarin. He several times asked for the blessing of his parents to marry Vera, but he always received a decisive refusal. The owners of the oldest noble family and the owners of large land plots did not want to hear about their relationship with the Mamontov merchants.
For the artists, Vera was a muse and inspiration, and for the parents of her beloved, she was considered just the daughter of a rich "merchant". Only after the death of Samarin Sr., the mother of Alexander Dmitrievich gave in and blessed her son to marry Vera Mamontova.
On January 26, 1903 Vera Savvichna Mamontova became the wife of Alexander Dmitrievich Samarin. In this marriage, three children were born: Yuri, Elizabeth and Sergei. Unfortunately, this time-tested union, built on love, mutual trust and respect, lasted less than five years.
Vera Mamontova's life was suddenly cut short. She died on December 27, 1907 from transient pneumonia. Vera lived a very short life, only 32 years, but her image will live forever on the canvases of great Russian artists.
