Sleeping Beauty

This “Sleeping Beauty” tapestry is based on the work of Victor Vasnetsov (1848-1926), a Russian artist who specialized in mythological and historical subjects. He was born in Lopyal, son of the village priest, and during his childhood studied in a seminary and assisted an exiled Polish artist Andriolli to paint frescos in the local cathedral. He later studies in the Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg, and later joined the Peredvizhniki colony in Paris where he began developing his style and love of mythological subjects. He is considered a co-founder of folklorist/romantic modernism in the Russian art. Here we see Sleeping Beauty asleep amongst an elaborate scene. The details are intricate and is a hallmark of the work of Vasnetsov. The color palette is a blend of brightness of pinks and greens and blues, yet contrasted with the more somber deep greens of the forest and the greys of the cold mountain ranges outside, visible in the distance. In the story of Sleeping Beauty, the Princess Aurora was about to marry, and received 3 goof fairies who were to give gifts to the princess. However the evil witch Maleficent appeared and was angry as she did not receive an invitation and cast a wish that Aurora would be poisoned by a spinning wheel before her 16th birthday. The third fairy tried to repair the spell by casting her own, so that the princess would sleep instead of die. The story goes on that she would be only awakened by a kiss from a true love. This art tapestry “Sleeping Beauty” is backed with a lining and has a tunnel for easy hanging.