He saw, through the window, three lovely damsels
1917
Ivan Bilibin, the master of Russian fairy tale illustration, captures a magical winter night in this 1917 piece. A figure wearing a jeweled crown and a magnificent purple floral cloak stands in the deep snow alongside a brown bear, gazing at a traditional wooden house where warm light spills from the windows. The caption below reveals the narrative: 'He saw, through the window, three lovely damsels,' linking this scene to Alexander Pushkin’s 'The Tale of Tsar Saltan,' where the Tsar discovers three sisters spinning. Bilibin’s signature style blends Art Nouveau elegance with Russian folk art, using bold outlines and intricate patterns to make the scene feel like a stained-glass window come to life.
- Technique
- Color lithograph
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