The Russian noblewoman Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna, whose biography will be described in this article, was called Pyatkovskaya in her maiden name. She was a prominent public figure, teacher and philanthropist. She is also known as a creative person, enamel artist and art collector. Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna founded the St. Petersburg Art Studio, the Museum of Russian Antiquities in the city of Smolensk, the Drawing School (also in St. Petersburg), the Bezhitsky Craft School, as well as art and industrial workshops in the Talashkino estate, which belonged to her.
Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna: a brief bigography
Of course, the story of the life of a person begins with the exact date of his birth. Unfortunately, information about the year in which the future talented artist was born was not preserved in history, since she was an illegitimate, albeit metropolitan noblewoman. No one today knows what the surname of her own father is. After marriage, she adopted the name of her husband and began to be called Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna. Her date of birth is April 20, but the year is indicated approximately, between 1865-1867. By the way, there are suggestions that her father could be the Russian emperor Alexander II. Apparently, precisely because of this, the story of her birth is so much shrouded in mystery.
Unhappy childhood
Her mother Maria Alexandrovna married Claudius Stefanovich Pyatkovsky and bore his last name. The second stepfather of little Masha was M.P. von Dizen - a very wealthy man who owned several houses in both St. Petersburg and Moscow. The mother did not treat her daughter with tenderness and care, and the girl always had to be on her guard so as not to incur her displeasure, as a result of which severe punishment and even beatings could follow. The girl grew easily wounded and closed, she could be touched only by a look. In addition, she held a grudge in herself for a long time and could not forgive. At the same time, she was a very strong and strong-willed nature, independent and active. She dreamed of a different life, the opposite of what she had in her stepfather's house.
Education
Until 1869, the future princess Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva studied at home under the watchful supervision of a French tutor. However, when she learned about the recently opened first female gymnasium in Russia, where girls were taught according to the program of male schools, she decided to take exams and entered. The founder of the gymnasium was M. Speshneva. Studying for young Masha was easy, and she soon became one of the first pupils of this educational institution.
First marriage
In 1876, Maria married. Her husband was a lawyer R. N. Nikolaev. A year later, her daughter was born, Maria Rafailovna - the future baroness von der Osten-Saken. However, this marriage was short-lived and soon fell apart. After in her autobiographical book “Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna: the impressions of my life”, she wrote that the reason for the divorce was the incompatibility of their natures with her husband.
Paris
When the baby was 4 years old, Maria Klavdievna left home, taking her daughter with her. She went to Paris, where she began to practice vocals at the music school of M. Marquezi. At this time, Masha was looked after by a faithful servant Liza, who would remain with them until the end of her life. Soon Paris for Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva becomes a very native city, here she feels like a fish in water. Here everything is close and clear to her. She leads a secular life, meets creative people. At a music school, she meets A. Rubinstein, Charles Gounod. The circle of her acquaintances is growing every day. Among her friends is also Ivan Turgenev. The artist K. Makovsky is also glad that Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva accepted him into the circle of her friends. He writes her portrait under the first impression that she had on him.
The first meeting with Talashkino
Having lived in the capital of France for two years, the future princess returns to Russia and goes to the estate of her childhood friend Kitty. She really likes Talashkin, despite the fact that there is nothing remarkable here. She likes native nature, hills, copses and fields. Having a little rest, she and her friend again go to Paris, because she needs to finish her studies at a vocal school. In the French capital, they begin to independently engage in the history of art, visit various museums, galleries, etc. In the Louvre, Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna gets acquainted with the artist Gilbert and begins to take drawing lessons from him. It was during this period that she began to get involved in enamels.
The beginning of public activity
In 1887, having again arrived in Talashkino, friends opened a school for peasant children. They decided not only to teach them literacy, but also to attach to the crafts and give them the opportunity to succeed in life. Tenisheva was a true patriot, and she really wanted to somehow contribute to the prosperity of her country. Perhaps it was in her that the blood of her crowned father spoke?
Search for yourself
A year later, Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva made acquaintance with Konstantin Stanislavsky. She decides to try herself in the theater field. Being gifted by nature, she begins to make progress, and the great director gives her the opportunity to prove herself as an actress in the theatrical production of “Minion” on the stage of the Paradise Theater. However, fine art prevails, and she continues her watercolor classes with N. Golitsinsky, and then enters the school of Baron Stieglitz in the drawing class. Spinning in creative circles, she meets the young artist I. E. Repin, and then with Alexandre Benois, with whom she was brought together by the brother of the artist Alber.
Second marriage
In 1892, she remarried and now goes to high society as Princess Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva. A philanthropist, entrepreneur, scientist and just a big soul man, Vyacheslav Nikolaevich supports all the undertakings of his little wife. Soon he founded the famous Tenishevsky School in St. Petersburg. Marrying a man of such a high flight gave her many advantages and opened up opportunities that she never dreamed of. However, she uses them not for personal prosperity, but for the benefit of the development of Russian art. This suggests that Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva is a philanthropist in the most direct sense of the word.
Life in Bezhitsa
Her husband owned the Bryansk Rail Rolling Plant, which was located in Bezhitsa. Arriving here on her estate, Maria Klavdievna begins to engage in educational activities. Of course, her husband helped her a lot in this. Without his capital, she would not have been able to make a grain of her intention. In addition, he was a very wise man, respected in scientific circles, and she was very much helped by advice. V.N. Tenishev received international recognition as a sociologist and ethnographer, author of valuable scientific works. However, in Russia he was under the secret surveillance of the authorities, who were alarmed by his freedom-loving views, as well as disagreement with the state’s policy, with which he occasionally shared in narrow progressive circles. At this time, his wife, who did not understand anything in politics, felt that she needed to develop the talents of people who could not advance beyond their means and make themselves known to the world. In her house poor artists, artists and singers constantly gathered, in a word, people of art. However, all this annoyed the prince, he hated the manifestation of “bohemianism, ” he did not like antiques, and he did not understand how to spend money on acquiring art objects for a personal collection. However, there was something that united these two such different people - a love of music and enlightenment. Tenishev played the cello beautifully and was friends with many famous musicians.
Acquaintance with Tchaikovsky
In 1892, thanks to Vyacheslav Konstantinovich, Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna met the great Tchaikovsky. Once in their house on the Promenade des Anglais in St. Petersburg, the princely couple arranged an evening in honor of the composer, and the princess herself decided to perform Tchaikovsky’s romances specially for him. The great musician was delighted with her singing and rushed to accompany her. The evening was surprisingly good, and the composer did not want to leave, he was even late for the opera at the rehearsal of "Iolanta."
Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna: Talashkino, transformation
Catherine Svyatopolk-Chetvertinskaya was the owner of this estate. She gladly agreed to sell it to her husband her friend, Prince Tenishev, who, in turn, made his wife a royal gift in the name of the day. However, Kitty received permission for life annuity and remained to live on the estate. From this day, Talashkino is transformed beyond recognition. Here, an active woman establishes an oil mill, for which she brings high-class equipment from abroad. This time, the princess proves to herself and others that it can be not only bohemian, creative and romantic, but also a great businessman. All products from the factory are imported to both Russian capitals - Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as to Paris. A grandiose construction begins throughout the estate. Extensive greenhouses, a steam mill, animal enclosures, various workshops, including for the repair of agricultural machinery, are being built. Arriving at work in Talashkino, workers begin building their own housing. All the time Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna spent on the estate, she brought a car for herself from Paris and drove around on her possessions. Then a horse yard consisting of 50 horses is transferred here from Khotylev. Hot water is provided for horses. And horse breeders are invited from England. Later, an arena for horse racing and a lodge is being built next to the stud farm.
Expansion
Tenisheva Maria Klavdievna, whose family only occasionally gathers in Talashkina, found a new occupation for herself. She began to buy nearby villages and a farm. She founded schools, built dormitories. Soon the whole district began to talk about the school in Flenovo. From time to time she came to visit Petersburg. Here, in their own house, she founded a drawing school. Young talented children who came to study at the Academy of Arts came to study here. Among the students were M. Dobuzhinsky, I. Ya. Bilibin, Z. E. Serebryakova, S. V. Chekhonin, the son of Repin Yuri, A. Pogosskaya, M. Chambers-Bilibin and others. At the request of the princess, Ilya Repin himself leads the school.
Initiations
Friends of art historians, whom she patronized at the beginning of her career and with whom she made friendship, began to devote works to her. So, the composer A. S. Arensky wrote notes for the romance “Lily of the Valley”, and the words to them were composed by P. I. Tchaikovsky. The artist Alexandre Benois offers the princess his services in systematizing the Tenishevsky collection of drawings and watercolors. He also draws many paintings with views of the Talashkinsky estate. The year 1896 was special for the Tenishev family. At the All-Russian exhibition, the Bryansk Plant and the Bezhitsky Craft School, owned by the prince and princess, were presented. They were awarded the highest royal gratitude.
And again Paris
No matter how much Maria Klavdievna did not like Russia, however, Paris was precisely the city where she felt most comfortable. And after a long break, she again finds herself in her beloved city. Here she is again drawn to study and she enters the Academy of Julien. In the class of B. Constant, she continues her studies in painting and drawing. Here she meets L. Bakst, who is in distress, and helps him. In addition, she buys most of the graphic works of the artist. Meanwhile, revolutionary unrest is brewing in Russia, and its drawing school is beginning to be suspected of organizing various gatherings. Because of this, a conflict arises between her and the school principal, Repin, but Repin, not wanting to lose the school, solves this problem with the authorities. In the same year, another drawing school opens in Smolensk. The room for the creative workshop is the house of E.K. Svyatopolk-Chetvertinskaya, and one of the students of I. Repin A. Kurennaya is appointed as the head.
Collectibles and Exhibitions
An exhibition opens in St. Petersburg in 1897, at which watercolors and drawings from the collection of Maria Tenisheva are exhibited for visitors. The whole Petersburg elite speaks about the exhibition. And Tretyakov himself respects her with his attention. He offers the princess to buy back several paintings, but she refuses him, explaining her refusal by the unwillingness to lose the integrity of the collection. By the way, in the end, she offers her collection to the Russian Museum, which was due to open soon. But she is told that only paintings by Russian artists can take. At the same time, Prince V.N. Tenishev received a government appointment as the general commissioner and head of the Russian department at the World Exhibition in Paris. And his wife, together with the philanthropist and the head of the St. Petersburg ballet troupe, Sergei Diaghilev, to Finland, to organize a joint art exhibition.
Magazine "World of Art"
At the very beginning of the 20th century, Maria Tenisheva and Sergey Mamontov created a new cultural magazine - “World of Arts”. It is to this period that the portrait of the Princess belongs, painted by Serov and which is stored in the Smolensk Museum. In the course of work on the magazine, she gets acquainted with the outstanding photographer of her time I. Borschevsky. And they begin to travel around ancient Russian cities and photograph local attractions for the magazine.
Enamel art
Some time after the creation of the magazine, she returns to her old passion - enamel art and establishes a special art school in Smolensk. Masters who participate in it begin to decorate the church, built at the expense of the Tenishev family. For this, a brick factory was also built.
Further activities
Over the next few years, Tenisheva has done so much for the development of Russian culture that everything can not be counted. Exhibitions, museums opened, concerts were given, and much more. In Moscow, the Rodnik store was created, which sold products manufactured in Talashkin workshops. Tenisheva’s house in Talashkina is always full of celebrities. Sergei Diaghilev himself even comes here. As a result of the 1905 revolution, Talashkin workshops were closed, the princess ceased to finance the magazine “World of Arts”, and it also closed. Maria Klavdievna, having taken her precious collection, goes to Paris and organizes an exhibition there. Living in the French capital, she continues to engage in enamel art. In 1907, returning to Russia, she learns that she was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Smolensk. In 1912, the Tenishevsky Museum was honored by his visit to the Emperor of All Russia, Nicholas II.
World War I
In 1914, with the outbreak of war, a military hospital was opened in Smolensk. Maria Klvdievna cannot remain indifferent and works in it herself, and her car serves to transport the wounded. Nicholas II comes to the infirmary to greet and award the army. The emperor praised the princess's patriotism and thanked her for serving the homeland. In the years 1915-1916. Tenisheva works on the dissertation and defends it. The October Revolution is approaching. Cultural life in the country freezes, and Tenisheva experiences severe depression. Then it was October, and she and a group of close people had to flee to the south of the country, from where she crossed to France, where she lived until 1928.
