“What dreams did she dream?” That’s the question I find myself asking whenever I stand before the Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo. This statue also known as Girl with a pitcher is more than just a fountain. It’s a poetic symbol. The Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo stands in Catherine Park.
The Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo was designed by Augustin Betancourt. Pavel Sokolov sculpted it. Senior researcher Vsevolod Petrov calls it the pinnacle of Sokolov’s work. He says it is among Russia’s most beautiful garden sculptures.
Some believed the fable “The Milkmaid, or the Jug of Milk” inspired the statue. The fable tells of Perette. She breaks her jug of milk and loses her dreams. Some researchers think the Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo resembles Empress Elizabeth Alexeevna. They believe it is an allegory of her mourning. She mourned her daughters who died in infancy. She also mourned her lover who died shortly before.
Originally a spring was here. Catherine I had a staircase built to it. In 1757 the spring was hidden. Water flowed to the pond through an underground conduit. By 1809 Tsarskoye Selo had a water pipeline. The spring’s utilitarian function disappeared.
Betancourt was tasked with decorating the space. He reconstructed the spring’s chamber. He transformed it into a dripping chamber. The Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo sculpture was created by Pavel Sokolov. Sokolov proposed designing the fountain. Betancourt handled the water supply. He installed the pedestal. He chose the location.
The fountain was launched in 1810. Sokolov did not finish the bronze sculpture in time. In 1816 a letter mentioned a change in the fountain’s appearance. This suggests the bronze figure replaced the alabaster one. The bronze statue appeared in 1817. The statue was cast in the Imperial Academy of Arts workshop. Lyudmila Doronina wrote that Betancourt loved Sokolov’s sculpture. The sculptor made a marble copy for him.
Originally the fountain had a grotto. It was removed in the mid-19th century. The Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo is barefoot. She wears an antique tunic. She sits on a gray stone. She holds a shard of a broken jug. Water flows from the jug.
Joseph Busch integrated the Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo into the landscape. The pedestal stands in an open space. Trees surround it. They create a feeling of majesty and mystery.
In 1830 Ilya Yakovkin described the fountain. In winter the girl is covered. He admired her sorrow and inner brokenness. In 1877 they discovered there were no water system drawings. Engineer Chernyavsky identified the system. A legend emerged that the water could cure ailments. A mug was chained nearby for pilgrims. In 1910 the water was inferior to tap water.
At the end of the 19th century an iron fence was built. In 1937 it was removed. During World War II the Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo was buried. It remained underground for three years. After the city’s liberation the sculpture was displayed in the Lyceum. The broken vessel was lost. In 1945 the sculpture returned. In 1947 the jug was recreated. In 1951 the fountain was restored.
In 1989 the fountain was reconstructed. In 1990 a replica was made. The original is in the Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve. Another copy is held in case of vandalism. A bronze copy is at the Sukhanovo estate. A plaster cast is in the Russian Museum. A copy was given to Prince Friedrich Karl Alexander of Prussia. The 1989 copy was donated to the Britz Castle Association.
Contemporaries thought “The Milkmaid” inspired the plot. Dmitry Kuznetsov called La Fontaine a favorite poet. The milkmaid Perette breaks her jug. Pavel Svinyin wrote about the beautiful peasant woman grieving. Lyudmila Belozerova suggested the model was Empress Elizabeth Alexeevna.
Nikolai Antsiferov described the Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo as a nymph. Lydia Yemina saw the sculpture as a triumph of joy over sorrow. Vsevolod Petrov said the sculptor transformed the genre motif. Anatoly Petrov saw aspiration to abstract beauty. Magdalina Rakova considered the Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo typical of the Empire style. Alexei Ilyichev wrote that the sculpture conveys sadness. Nina Semennikova emphasized classicism’s influence.
Dmitry Likhachev believed the sculpture reflected sensibility. Elena Egorova wrote that Sokolov deepened the fable’s content. Dmitry Kuznetsov wrote that the water symbolized fragility. The broken jug symbolized death.
Pushkin wrote a poem about the Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo. Mikhail Delarue also wrote a poem. Silver Age poets referred to the sculpture. Caesar Cui wrote a romance. Gara Garayev wrote a piano arrangement. Andrei Martynov made a lithograph. Albert May included a picture in his album.
So, as you stand here. Take a moment. Reflect on the Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo. A symbol of loss. A symbol of hope. The Milkmaid of Tsarskoye Selo stands as a reminder of the past.