How the Russian Countess got into the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii": Karl Bryullov's Favorite Muse

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Russian artist Karl Pavlovich Bryullov (December 12, 1799 - June 11, 1852), who without exaggeration is called "The Great Charles", became famous for his monumental works, the most famous of which is "The Last Day of Pompeii". On this and other canvases of the master, it is difficult not to notice the heroine with a sweet face and sparkling eyes. This is the artist's favorite model - Countess Samoilova.

Biography

Countess Julia Pavlovna Samoilova (née Julia von der Palen; 1803 - March 14, 1875) was the granddaughter of Count Martin Skavronsky and the last descendant of the Skavronsky family.

The name is a tribute to her paternal grandmother, Juliana Ivanovna Palen (1751-1814). According to another hypothesis, the name was given in honor of Count Julius Litta, Vice Admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy. Julia's parents are Pavel von der Palen and Maria Skavronskaya. Since the girl lost her mother early, Julia grew up in the house of Count Julia Litta. Samoilova became the owner of the Tsarskaya (Grafskaya) Slavyanka Estate (now Antropshino), near Tsarskoye Selo, and the owner of several world masterpieces. Yulia Samoilova is not only a secular beauty, but also the daughter of a general, the granddaughter of two counts and the niece of Catherine I).

Marriage with Count Samoilov

On January 25, 1825, she married Count Nikolai Samoilov, adjutant of the Life Guards. Nikolai was handsome, rich, cheerful and witty. The marriage, however, was unhappy and soon fell apart due to violent quarrels that became the subject of countless gossip. This period in the life of the countess was marked by the most unpleasant rumors. The count had a penchant for fun and gambling. In 1827 they parted by mutual agreement. Soon, not recovering from the whole load of gossip, Samoilova sold the Count's Slavyanka and left for Italy.

Meeting Samoilova and Bryullov

Yulia Samoilova and Karl Bryullov first saw each other in 1830 in Italy, in the famous salon of Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya. It was a meeting of two famous people, though not equal. Samoilova was a secular beauty, and Bryullov was just an artist.

Samoilova was previously a friend of famous creative people: composers Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Pacini, opera singers at La Scala. And her main hobby was the patronage of talented but poor artists, musicians, actors. Countess Samoilova supported them, but wanted to find a real genius that she could admire. The countess found such an ideal that she dreamed of in Bryullov. She conquered the artist with her perfect beauty. Interestingly, almost all of his "beautiful Italians", written before meeting the countess, looked like Julia.

Countess Yulia Pavlovna Samoilova was amazingly beautiful, incredibly wealthy, extravagant, often challenging public opinion. Just at that time in the salons of Rome, people were whispering about "poor Emmanuel Corn", who did not survive her indifference and shot himself. But Bryullov, most likely, she reciprocated. She accepted his love, despite the distance between Italy and St. Petersburg.

Countess Samoilova first visited Bryullov in his Roman workshop, where he worked on The Last Day of Pompeii. She, of course, knew that the artist was in search of a model for the central figure in the composition and, accordingly, was ready to give him as much time as he needed to work. And their joint work on the monumental canvas began. According to people who knew her in those years, the Countess changed dramatically after meeting the artist. Accustomed to the command and ordering tone, she treated Bryullov differently: as a high priest, admiring his eternal art and talent. “No one in the world admires you and loves you as I do…”, she wrote to the artist. Bright, beautiful, they were an unforgettable and even ideal couple: he was a great artist, she was a lovely girl and the dream of a great artist.

Neither short nor long breakups could make their relationship less tender and trusting. The letters of the countess addressed to the artist and his paintings are proof of this. Julia's features appeared in many of the artist's paintings. The beautiful face that looks at the audience was full of mysteries. He himself asked himself the question: "Is it possible to understand this divine woman?" "The Last Day of Pompeii", among other canvases, demonstrates the idealized figures of Samoilova. The content of this grandiose historical canvas with an area of about thirty square meters is based on the tragedy of the Roman city, which perished during the eruption of Vesuvius in the 1st century. n. NS. There is also a portrait of him: golden-haired, with a sketchbook on his head, hiding in the rain of hot ash. Perhaps Julia also became the inspiration behind the famous Italian noon masterpiece.

Last meeting

When Count Litta died in 1839, leaving her a huge fortune, Yulia Pavlovna returned to St. Petersburg and joined the inheritance rights. Julia inherited the palaces and villas that belonged to the Visconti and Litta family. It was then that Karl Bryullov began to paint the famous "Portrait of Countess Yu. P. Samoilova, retiring from the ball with her adopted daughter Amatsilia Pacini." As quickly as shown in the picture, she left St. Petersburg for an unknown reason. This was their last meeting.

The years without Bryullov did not bring her happiness: Countess Samoilova was married four times, and all marriages were short-term. The Countess married for the fourth time at the age of 60. She died on March 14, 1875 in Paris and, according to her wishes, was buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery.