Die Fürstin Urussowa

"Die Fürstin Urussowa" (Princess Urusova) is a 1884 figure study related to Surikov's preparation for "Boyarina Morozova," which depicts the 1671 arrest of the Old Believer noblewoman Feodosia Morozova and which occupied Surikov's attention throughout the early-to-mid 1880s. Princess Evdokia Urusova was Morozova's sister, also an Old Believer, who followed her into exile and shared her fate. Including Urusova in the composition meant studying her separately as a distinct figure with her own psychological character. This study, held at the Tretyakov Gallery, shows Surikov working through the specific visual qualities of the princess — her costume, expression, and pose — in preparation for integrating her into the crowded sled scene of the final composition. Such studies represent the sustained labour of preparation that made Surikov's major canvases so compelling.

Surikov renders the princess in the full Old Believer costume appropriate to her historical identity, the clothing serving as both a period document and a visual marker of her religious affiliation. The face carries the quality of conviction and suffering appropriate to a woman who chose exile over renouncing her faith. The handling balances costume detail with psychological characterization.