Object Description
Watercolour painting of Russian peasants feasting by Teikh
Russian, 1872
Frame: Height 92cm, width 122cm, depth 6cm
Sheet: Height 76cm, width 107cm
This fine watercolour painting is dated 1872 to the lower left and inscribed in Cyrillic, by Russian artist Gustavovich Teikh. The painting depicts peasants, or ‘serfs’ enjoying a rare moment of merriment and feasting in an interior. This painting could well have been produced in the wake of Alexander II’s positive reforms toward the lives of serfs in Russia, who, before the Emancipation act of 1861, were tied to a piece of land by ownership. By comparison, the reforms drastically improved the poor quality of life of peasants in Russia.