Menshikov in Berezovo

Alexander Menshikov, Peter I’s former associate, sits with his children in a Siberian hut. After his fall in 1727, he lost his position and was exiled. Surikov turns from court struggles to their consequences for a family. Table, walls and a low ceiling closely contain the four figures.

Menshikov’s large figure nearly fills the room’s left half. A clenched hand rests on his knee and his head lowers. His body appears particularly heavy beside the small furnishings. This relationship can suggest the mismatch between his former power and present circumstances without depicting the lost palace.

His eldest daughter Maria leans against him. Black fur frames her face, joining the two figures into a close group. Her inclined head can suggest a need for closeness, though precise feelings remain interpretation. Their physical proximity follows the destruction of their former lives by a political decision.

The son behind the table supports his head with one hand. A small gap separates his face from his father. Unlike the reading on the right, this gesture has no definite task. His stillness can suggest waiting. Hands, gazes and distances distinguish the family members.

The younger daughter Alexandra reads an open book. Light picks out her hair, face and pages. This clearly defined activity connects the seated family despite their separated gazes. Reading introduces duration into the confined interior: words follow one another where most bodily movement has paused.

Icons and a lamp occupy the upper corner above the close group and household objects. They identify the arrangement of a contemporary domestic space. The corner’s vertical also leads our eyes back towards the table, returning attention from the picture’s upper section to the family.

Menshikov died in exile in 1729, and Maria died that year too. Surikov does not depict these events, but knowledge of their later fate makes the family gathering particularly temporary. Tretyakov acquired the painting in 1883. A history of state power takes the scale of a crowded dwelling.