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).

Abstract: Since the end of the 17th century, personifications of the four parts of the world, or four continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, and America), have appeared in Russian art, along with many elements of the Western European allegorical vocabulary. These allegorical figures in some works of art attracted the attention of researchers, but their iconography has not yet been elaborately analyzed. The present article summarizes information about personifications of the four parts of the world in 18th-century Russian art. Their iconography is examined in Western European context and in comparison with their descriptions in iconological lexicons (e.g., Honoré Lacombe de Prézel’s "Dictionnaire iconologique, ou introduction à la connoissance des peintures, sculptures, médailles, estampes...") and literature. The iconography of the personifications of the four parts of the world, borrowed from European art, varied from case to case, following different patterns, but remained recognizable. Allegorical figures could be accompanied by various symbolic animals. Sometimes parts of the world could be depicted as children, also in accordance with one of the variations of European iconography. The appearance of allegorical figures of the four continents in panegyric art served to the purpose of glorifying the Russian Empire and its ruler. By pointing to the universality of their meaning, these allegorical figures helped to exalt the imperial nature of power.
In addition to the examples of personifications of the four parts of the world in 18th-century Russian art which were already analyzed, the article adds works of art that had not previously attracted attention in connection with this topic, including images of not-preserved decorations of court celebrations, as well as alternative embodiments of universal meaning (such as images of the winds).