Located at Galerie Tretiakov, The Unequal Marriage is a timeless painting that puts into perspective the realities of 19th-century Russian marriage. Although it caters to the era in which it is contextualized, it explores themes that are still prevalent to this day; gender and class dynamics. 

These two variables put many women and lower-class people in an unfavourable position, on an individual and societal level. Especially in our modern patriarchal and capitalist society, there are biases, norms and systemic injustices contributing to this disadvantage. Power dynamics regarding gender and class are also applicable to marriage, both in present and past. The painting highlights these within the context of 19th-century Russia. In addition to this, many interpret this painting as a depiction of the artist’s personal tragic love story.

The artist behind the painting is Vasili Pukirev, a 19th-century Russian painter. Not much is known about his life; he was born into peasantry in 1832 and died a renowned academician at the age of 58. Arthive states that many of his known personal affairs are simply assumptions based on his painting The Unequal Marriage. 

‍The Unequal Marriage depicts a marital scenery. The groom and the bride stand next to each other, their obvious gap in age and the bride’s tragic expression are some of the most striking and impactful features of the piece. 

The groom is standing up straight, with an authoritative and commanding presence. He is wearing an expensive suit accessorized with a medal, he is an unmistakable man of high status and wealth seen looking down on his young bride with a stern expression. 

The bride herself is illuminated in a soft light, creating contrast within this gloomy and dark scene. Ironically enough, it is the bride’s expression itself that sets the sad tone of the painting. As the priest is slipping the wedding ring onto her finger, she looks down, golden curls framing her youthful face, seemingly defeated and hopeless. She is wearing a floral wreath and veil, and an elaborate white dress adorned with lace. Could the light be cast onto her to accentuate her white attire, perhaps a symbol of her purity and innocence? Regardless, one can infer that as her white attire is stripped off her in the consummation of the marriage, her purity and innocence will be stripped away with it. 

DailyArt Magazine explains that the identity of the young bride in this painting is confirmed to be Praskovya Matveevna Varentsova. She was said to be the illegitimate child of an aristocrat. Despite her illegitimacy, her wealthy parents consistently worked to ensure a secure establishment of her future. Marrying an older, affluent man would guarantee stability. 

This type of marriage arrangement was a common practice among poor women and girls without a dowry for the same reason. It is probable that this marriage was arranged by the parents in question. Regardless, it is clear that love was overridden by economic or status-related factors.

The other figures in this scene—although less prominent than the bride and groom—give important context to the story behind this piece. The priest officiating the wedding is wearing detailed, golden attire. This can give insight into the importance and social power of the dominant religion practiced in 19th Century Russia, which is, according to Pew Research Center, Orthodox Christianity; a religion that holds patriarchal values and norms. 

The wedding guests themselves also deepen the narrative of the piece. DailyArt Magazine points out that there are two older women lingering near the priest who seem to be looking at the groom with skepticism. Another notable detail is that they are wearing the same flowered wreaths as the bride, and one is wearing white attire that could resemble a wedding dress, or a burial shroud. The article continues by saying that what is especially strange about these figures is that within the historical context of 19th-century Russian marital customs, ordinary guests were seldom allowed to remain near the priest. Some theories point to these women being the spirits of the groom’s past wives, which amplifies the mystery and uneasiness of the scene. 

Another remarkable guest is the young man on the far right of the painting. He stands with his arms crossed, and seems to bear an expression of dissatisfaction. Although this is not confirmed, many believe that this figure shares a close resemblance to the artist himself.

Much of Pukirev’s life story is constructed from his painting The Unequal Marriage. This raises the question of whether or not this piece holds autobiographical elements. Arthive insists that Pukirev was in love with Praskovya, the bride in the painting. This would explain his visible discontentment towards the tragic scene of Praskovya reluctantly marrying a much older, wealthy man. Thus, witnessing the woman he loves forcibly become legally and spiritually bound to another for unjust reasons.

These details shed light on the realities of 19th-century Russian society. More specifically, the piece explores themes of gender, class, and status in the context of marriage. Avdeev et al.’s article Peasant Marriage in Nineteenth-Century Russia explains that in this time period, Russian marriage was constrained by institutional and social factors. It was largely an economical affair, and wives were an economical asset. When a man married a woman, she would move in with his family and contribute to its wealth and lineage. The article explains that this notion is evident in primary historical sources. Women were almost always referred to as ‘wife of’, ‘mother of’, or ‘widow of’, if they were married. If not, they would be referred to as ‘daughter of’, ‘sister of’, ‘niece of’, or ‘granddaughter of’. The ownership of women as financial or lineage-related assets is clear; marriage served a social and economic purpose, not a romantic one. 

As stated in Peasant Marriage in Nineteenth-Century Russia, remarriage was common—there were little to no divorces recorded within this century, but a high number of remarriages. In many cases, especially among men, it happened not long after widowhood. Additionally, there was an apparent preference for younger women. 

As social changes were happening in Russia in the 1860s and 1870s, (for context, The Unequal Marriage was painted and released in 1862-1863), age gaps in marital relationships seemed to increase. Whether intentional or not, these social phenomena could give a deeper significance to the two mysterious women wearing flower wreaths as well as the bride’s evident youth in comparison to her husband. 

Overall, The Unequal Marriage is a powerful piece that explores themes of unjust gender and class dynamics within marriages from the time period. According to DailyArt Magazine, it was very well received by the public and brought much fame to Pukirev. This painting still remains infamous and relevant in contemporary times.