‘Marya Morevna’ illustration
Today, we have a fantastical piece by the Russian Art Nouveau illustrator, Ivan Bilibin. Bilibin was part of the greater Russian modern movement; the Art Nouveau movement that spread through Russia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
This color ink on paper illustration is from Marya Morevna or The Death of Koschei the Deathless, a Russian fairy tale. In this piece, Bilibin depicts Ivan, the hero of the story, who is on his way to visit his sisters when he finds the remains of a great host of warriors dead in the field. This short book with twelve pages and nine illustrations by Bilibin was published in 1901 by Izdanie Ekspeditsii Zagotovleniia Gosudarstvennykh’ Bumag. This illustration is located on page three.
Bilibin illustrated a series of Russian folktales in his mid-20s, including this one, which gained him notoriety. In these fairy tales, Bilibin dressed his figures in traditional costume and used the mountains and forests of Old Russia for the backgrounds. He often used traditional designs and motifs to border his illustrated scenes. The books were an immediate success and kick-started his career.
Marya Morevna, also spelled Maria Morevna or Mar’ia Morevna, was first written down by Alexander Afanasyev in the 1850s. It tells the tale of Koschei, an evil immortal being, who terrorizes young women. The story is as follows:
Our hero, Ivan, marries Marya Morevna, a warrior princess. Marya goes to war, but before she leaves, she tells her new husband not to open the dungeon door while she is away. He gets curious and after some time opens the dungeon door to find a starved giant chained to the wall. The giant’s name is Koschei. Ivan, feeling sympathy for Koschei, brings him water. Once Koschei drinks the water, he regains his magical powers and strength. This allows him to break free from his bonds and out of the dungeon.
After escaping, Koschei kidnaps Marya. When Ivan tries to rescue his wife, Koschei kills him. Ivan’s remains are put in a barrel and thrown out to sea. Luckily, he is found and rejuvenated back to life by his sisters’ husbands.
Once he is back alive, Ivan seeks his revenge against the giant. After hearing that Koschei has a magic horse, Ivan goes to Baba Yaga to ask for help. After passing her tests, he is rewarded with a magic horse of his own. Once upon his magic horse, Ivan rides and fights Koschei, this time killing the giant. Afterwards, Ivan burns Koschei’s body and finally frees Marya, his wife.
Copies of ‘Marya Morevna‘ can be found online and in bookstores today.
For more on Ivan Bilibin, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
