Abstract: Alongside with personification of Russia, there are other state personifications in Russian art, including Genius of Russia. Despite some interest to this figure (V.M. Faibisovich), its iconography has not yet been comprehensively analyzed. Appearance of “Genius of the Russian Empire” in the ballet “The New Argonauts” (1770) by Gasparo Angiolini allows us to assume that this personification became widespread in Russian art in the second half of the 18th century.
In the article, this personification is examined on materials of artworks and performances of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Western European context. Geniuses are good guardian spirits of individuals, or territories, or countries. Geniuses were represented as puttos, young men or women, typically winged, sometimes with flames on their hair. Genius of Russia could have miscellaneous attributes: a golden scepter, a coat of arms (or sometimes he could have been accompanied by an eagle – a heraldic animal), a cornucopia, a palm branch, Hercules’ club, a sword. Genius of Russia acquired great significance in the early 19th century in connection with the Patriotic War of 1812. There are two fundamental variations of his iconography: a winged (or sometimes wingless, but hovering) personification in antique dress and a half-naked, armed warrior with an ancient Russian helmet (“as Slavic vityaz”). The latter variety at the beginning of the 19th century was associated with the theme of glorification of the Russian Empire and presented in projects of medals by A.N. Olenin (1817) commemorating the Patriotic War, and existed in theatrical performances. The image of Genius of the Russian Empire “as Slavic vityaz” was most in demand at the beginning of the 19th century; subsequently, an image of Vityaz (Bogatyr) became widespread in Russian art.

Abstract: Personifications of territories are a part of rich allegorical language of the Baroque, which entered Russian art in the XVIII century. The personification of Russia attracted attention of researchers, but personifications of the territories of the Russian Empire has been so far largely ignored. In the paper allegorical figures of the territories of the Russian Empire are examined on the material of various kinds of art and with the use of information from printed publications (Honoré Lacombe de Prézel’s "Dictionnaire iconologique, ou introduction à la connoissance des peintures, sculptures, médailles, estampes...", descriptions of court celebrations). Personifications embody both administrative units (cities, fortresses, and viceroyalties) and historical ones, namely the Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian, and Moscow kingdoms. The latter had the highest status and were of the greatest importance. The article offers analysis of iconography of the personifications of the territories of the Russian Empire, which in most of the cases was a variation of the iconography of the personification of Russia. The main distinguishing feature of such figures was their coat of arms. Unlike personification of the Russian Empire, which always appeared in chaste attire, personifications of territories could be represented semi-naked. Attributes of power, i.e. crowns and royal robes, belonged only to the most significant of them, namely personifications of kingdoms or viceroyalties. Personifications of the kingdoms appeared in works in honour of the events that were paramount for the Russian Empire. Other personifications of territories (historical regions, cities, fortresses) usually appeared in art on the occasion of an addition of territory or in utilitarian objects (maps).