Henry Sanford said that although he’d never been to Sudak, he visited Koktibel which is nearby in 2005. His great, great grandfather was the Russian seascape painter, Ivan Aivazovsky, who lived in Theodossia (now Feodosia). Russian readers will be familiar with Aivazovsky (1817-1900). He was more highly regarded internationally in his own lifetime than his British contemporary, Turner.
His painting made him extremely rich and his admirers included three generations of the Imperial family . Henry’s great uncle describes an unexpected visit by three of Czar Alexander II’s children.
His Majesty, while on one of his visits to the Livadia Palace, sent Aivazovsky a telegram :- “I am sending Mary, Nicholas and Serge to you for three days.” The imminent arrival of the three Royal children filled Aivazovsky with alarm at the thought of how they could be entertained in such a small place as Theodosia. However he enjoyed a challenge and liked to do things on a grand scale. Regarding Theodosia as his private fiefdom, he promptly ordered all fishermen, carpenters and seamstresses to report to him. At his own expense the boats were to be transformed into Gondolas, the fishermen were to be dressed as gondoliers, and the local estate owners were asked to bring all their flowers and all the flowers at Sheihkmamai were to be cut and brought to Theodosia. His home was hurriedly prepared to receive the Royal guests and chefs were summoned from the local hotels to help his own staff. All was frenzied activity under his exacting eye.
On the day the Royal yacht “Tiger” sailed into view. Aivazovsky went out to meet it at the head of a fleet of gondolas decked with flowers and mounted a ladder to the deck of “Tiger” and greeted the young guests. Then Tiger sailed through the fleet of gondolas, the sea strewn with flowers, to the strains of music. The children, one hopes, were suitably delighted. A landing stage decorated with flags and flowers, had been erected in front of Aivazovsky’ house where the local dignitaries received the Royal guests. Then everyone crossed into the house for lunch. In the meantime telegrams had been exchanged with the Czar on the safe arrival of his children.
In the evening the sea front was illuminated with rockets and fire barrels in the sea while the royal party watched from the darkened terrace of Aivazovsky’s house. Then suddenly an illuminated monogram of the Czar was lit up. This created a great sensation and was to be talked about by all the old people of Theodosia for many years. It consisted of scaffolding with three girls, one above the other standing above each other on either side , with a seventh girl lying on a cross piece to join the two sides. Two small platforms were hung from this on which stood two small boys. Garlands of Fairy lights and flowers surrounded the whole contraption.
Aivazovsky owned another estate near Sudak where there were only vineyards and a small house for the steward. The Tzarevitch expressed a wish to see this estate. Aivazovsky did his best to dissuade him as there were no facilities to entertain them, but to no avail. The Tzarevitch insisted, as he had heard that the place was very beautiful and he did not wish to be entertained but only call in on his way back with the “Tiger”. However, not to be outdone, Aivazovsky dispatched the 60 versts to Sudak, some 70 horses and carts laden with provisions, crockery, carpets, chefs and servants with a letter of instructions to his unsuspecting steward. When the Royal party arrived at Sudak next morning they found a Tartar feast prepared with carpets on the lawns, roasting sheep and oxen, a huge assembly of Tartars in national costume, singing and dancing to an orchestra and Tartar lute. There was “bousa” the Tartar national drink made from “porc’(?).
While everyone was distracted by all the celebrations, Aivazovsky slipped away and rapidly painted the scene and sent the picture to be hung in the “Tiger” as a surprise and a memento for the youngsters’ return.
Those were the days.. and Aivazovsky is still remembered in Feodosia by this handsome statue.
Of all yr effortlessly exotic posts (the ones I have ambled across thus far), this surely takes the biscuit. It has flavours of the Grand Budapest Hotel (if I have it right), etc. Apropos my remarks in one comment on yr blog, yr Russian certainly knew about larging-it.
I hope Henry Sanford stumbles across your comment as he is responsible for that post. All the exoticism belongs to him and of course his relations.