The House of the royal palace in Tmutarakan 1912

Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin painted ‘The House of the Royal Palace in Tmutarakan’ with oil on canvas. Rows of roses boldly frame the upper edge of the painting and are embedded within the house’s interior. These roses carry echoes of ancient symbols of love, beauty, and transient life. In classical antiquity, roses were linked to Aphrodite, goddess of love, and later adopted by Christianity as symbols of the Virgin Mary. Think of Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus,’ where roses fall around the newly born goddess, each petal whispering of ephemeral beauty. Over time, the rose’s symbolism has subtly shifted, often reflecting the cultural moment. Korovin’s placement of roses—adorning a royal palace—suggests a deeper, perhaps subconscious, longing for beauty and order. The roses evoke an emotional response that transcends mere decoration, tapping into our collective memory and reminding us of the fragile, beautiful aspects of human existence.