Savva is a philanthropist from Abramtsevo. Savva Mamontov - biography of the largest industrialist in Russia

Savva Mamontov studied at the St. Petersburg Mining Institute and at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University. I. F. Mamontov began building railways. In the summer of 1863, the Moscow-Troitsk Railway was launched. Ivan Fedorovich was elected a member of the board of this road. Savva became more and more interested in theater and joined a theater group. Savva’s father was concerned about his son’s idle hobbies. Savva himself studied worse and worse at the university.

Seeing this, Ivan Fedorovich Mamontov decided to send Savva on the affairs of the Trans-Caspian Partnership (he was its co-founder) to Baku. In the fall, Savva Ivanovich began to head the central Moscow branch of the partnership.

In 1864, Savva visited Italy, where he began taking singing lessons and studied painting. There he met the daughter of the Moscow merchant Grigory Grigorievich Sapozhnikov, Elizaveta, who later became his wife (wedding in 1865 in Kireevo). The Sapozhnikov family occupied a high position in society, and consent to marriage was a confirmation of the strength of the Mamontovs’ position. Elizabeth was about 17 years old, she was not particularly beautiful, but she loved to read, sang, and played a lot of music. The young family settled in a house on Sadovaya-Spasskaya Street, bought by Savva Mamontov’s father. This mansion has been rebuilt several times.

"Gatherings" at the Mamontovs. Guests include Serov, Korovin...

Savva Mamontov sang as an opera singer (the Italian opera invited him to perform on its stage), was a talented sculptor, artist, and was fond of making majolica. In 1870-1890, his Abramtsevo estate near Moscow became the center of artistic life; The most prominent artists and musicians gathered here. With the support, art workshops were created that developed the traditions of folk art and crafts.

In 1885, Mamontov founded the Moscow Private Russian Opera, which existed until the fall of 1904. It promoted the work of leading figures in the musical arts, established new principles in theatrical art and a realistic type of operatic performance.

Thanks to Mamontov I “got up”FedorChaliapin. The Russian private opera, organized by Mamontov, gave rise to many talents, but Fyodor Chaliapin also played an ambiguous role in Savva’s life. Mamontov paid a huge penalty for Chaliapin’s transfer to his troupe, but was too zealous a teacher for the freedom-loving Fedor. As a result, Chaliapin returned to the Bolshoi.

Savva Mamontov was the founder and builder of the largest railways in Russia (from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk and from the Donetsk coal basin to Mariupol), the Mytishchensky carriage building plant, and was engaged in iron ore mining and cast iron smelting. He was a member of the Moscow City Duma, an honorary and full member of the Society of Lovers of Commercial Knowledge, chairman of the Delvigovsky Railway School, and the founder of five commercial and industrial schools in different parts of the Russian Empire. He is the author of the book “On the Railway Industry of Russia”, holder of the Order of Vladimir, 4th degree.

In the early 1990s, Mamontov planned to create a conglomerate of interconnected industrial and transport organizations. He began to reconstruct the Nevsky Shipbuilding and Mechanical Plant in St. Petersburg, taken from the treasury, and acquired the Nikolaev Metallurgical Plant in the Irkutsk province. These enterprises were supposed to provide vehicles for the Moscow-Yaroslavl-Arkhangelsk Railway, of which he was the director of the board, and continue its construction, which would allow for more energetic development of the North. Due to a lack of financial investments associated with the industrial crisis in 1899, Mamontov went bankrupt, was arrested and sent to Tagansk prison. Despite all the efforts of his friends and the positive opinion of the workers, Savva Mamontov spent several months in prison. The circumstances of the case allow us to say that Mamontov’s release was deliberately prevented. Muravyov purposefully searched for information about Mamontov’s abuses, but could not find anything.

In prison, Savva Ivanovich sculpted sculptures of guards and from memory.In the son's house, where SavvaMamontovatransferred to house arrest, visited himKorovin. Savva Ivanovich sadly said to the artist: “I wrote to Fedenka Chaliapin, but for some reason he didn’t visit me.” Serov said succinctly to Korovin about this: “Not enough heart.” Before his death, Mamontov bequeaths that Chaliapin should not be allowed to attend his funeral (Mamontov’s funeral, of course).

Later in his autobiography, Fyodor Chaliapin will write: “I owe my fame to Savva Ivanovich. I will be grateful to him all my life...” So understand these artists after this...

In court, he was defended by the famous lawyer F.N. Plevako, witnesses said only good things about Mamontov, and the investigation established that he did not embezzle money. The jury acquitted Mamontov, the courtroom was filled with unabated applause.

Savva Mamontov's property was sold out almost completely, many valuable works went into private hands. The railway became state property at a cost significantly lower than the market value; part of the shares went to other entrepreneurs, including Witte’s relatives. All debts were paid off. However, Mamontov lost money and reputation and was no longer able to engage in entrepreneurial activity. Until the end of his life, Savva Ivanovich retained his love for art and the love of his old friends - creators.

Savva Ivanovich Mamontov died on April 6, 1918. He was buried in Abramtsevo.

Victor Vasnetsov. Oak grove in Abramtsevo.

The village of Abramtsevo (until 2004 a dacha village) is located in the urban settlement of Khotkovo, Sergiev Posad district, Moscow region. Abramtsevo was first mentioned in the 14th century. The estate near Moscow began its glorious history in 1843, when it was acquired by the writer Aksakov, who was visited by writers, actors, philosophers, historians, some stayed for a long time in the hospitable house.

In 1870, 11 years after Aksakov’s death, the Abramtsevo estate was acquired by Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, it belonged to him until 1900. Mamontov, who was fond of singing, music and sculpture, attracted young talented artists, sculptors, composers, musicians, actors, singers. For many years, outstanding Russian artists worked and rested on his estate; in the red living room of the ancient estate the following gathered: Repin, V. M. and A. M. Vasnetsov, Polenov, Ostroukhov, Vrubel, Nesterov, Nevrev, Antokolsky, Serov, Korovin, Levitan, Chaliapin and many others.

Vasily Polenov and Savva Mamontov

In 1878, a unique creative association of artists was formed, which went down in art history under the name “Abramtsevo Art Circle,” which played a major role in the development of the national artistic culture of Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The members of this circle were united by a common desire for the further development of Russian national art, based on folk art and its artistic traditions.

For a quarter of a century, Mamontov’s estate “Abramtsevo” near Moscow was a major center of Russian culture, a place where artists sometimes came for the whole summer, sometimes for a shorter period of time, combining rest with work. In the vicinity of Abramtsev, V. Vasnetsov worked on the paintings “Bogatyrs”, “Alyonushka”, and his fairy-tale hut “on chicken legs” still stands in the estate park. Serov painted the famous portrait of Verushka Mamontova “Girl with Peaches”in the dining room of the Abramtsevo house.Joint evening readings were also held here, which imperceptibly resulted first in a home theater, where, with the participation of Chaliapin and Stanislavsky, amateur performances were regularly staged, which served as the basis for the famous Russian Private Opera, from where the voice and name of Chaliapin first sounded throughout Russia, and the magicalThe scenery for the productions, made according to the sketches of the “circle” artists, amazed the entire theater world.

Abramtsevo. Russian hut, where Vrubel's works are exhibited

Old Russian pottery production was revived here, and new forms of household items were developed. A school for peasant children was opened.

Trying to revive artistic handicrafts, members of the Abramtsevo circle organized carpentry and ceramic workshops. At the end of the 19th century, a school of Abramtsevo-Kudrin wood carving appeared in the vicinity of the estate. The emergence of the craft is closely connected with E.D. Polenova, who organized a carpentry and carving workshop in the Mamontov estate (1882), in which carvers from the surrounding villages studied and worked: Khotkovo, Akhtyrki, Mutovki, Kudrino. Currently, the Art and Industrial College named after V. M. Vasnetsov trains masters of Abramtsevo-Kudrin carving.

In 1918, the estate was nationalized. A museum was created on its territory, the first curator of which was the youngest daughter of Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, Alexandra Savvichna.A dacha village of artists grew up around the estate, where artists P. P. Konchalovsky, B. V. Ioganson, V. I. Mukhina, I. I. Mashkov and many others lived and worked. On August 12, 1977, the resolution of the Council of Ministers “On the transformation of the Abramtsevo Museum-Estate” into the State Historical, Artistic and Literary Museum-Reserve “Abramtsevo” was published.

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Sergiev Pasad. Monument to Savva Ivanovich Mamontov on the station square

Born on October 3, 1841 in the merchant family of Ivan Fedorovich Mamontov and Maria Tikhonovna Lakhtina, he was the fourth child. In 1849, I. F. Mamontov moved to Moscow. The Mamontov family lived richly: they rented a luxurious mansion, held receptions and balls. The Mamontovs’ lifestyle was atypical for the capitalists of those times; I. F. Mamontov had no connections or acquaintances in Moscow.

In 1852, Savva Mamontov’s mother, Maria Tikhonovna, died. The Mamontov family moved to a simpler, but also more spacious house. Savva, together with his brother, was sent to a gymnasium and studied there for a year without much success. In August 1854, Savva, along with his cousins, was enrolled in the Institute of the Corps of Mining Engineers, whose students received both engineering and military knowledge. Savva demonstrated good behavior, but had a tendency to get carried away with subjects that interested him, ignoring others: thus, having quickly learned German and having excellent scores in it, he received twos and threes in Latin. Due to the scarlet fever epidemic, I. F. Mamontov took his son to Moscow, and Savva returned to the Second Gymnasium, where he had studied previously. The family moved to a new house and purchased the Kireevo (Khimki) estate. In 1856, some of the Decembrists who received amnesty stayed in the Mamontovs’ house.

After moving to Moscow, the methods of raising children in the family changed somewhat. The eldest sons (Fedor, Anatoly and Savva) were hired as a tutor. He became a graduate of the University of Dorpat F.B. Specht, who taught boys European manners and foreign languages. At the same time, the old methods remained in use - for disobedience or negligence, children were laid on the bed and flogged. Beginning in 1858, Savva regularly visited the theater and expressed his opinion about the productions in his diary. Savva’s family organized evenings where there were discussions of plays and books, singing, and playing music.

In his diary for 1858 one can find reviews of many performances, from which one can judge how big a role theater played in the student’s life. The lifestyle of the Mamontov brothers, despite their belonging to the merchant class, was very different from how other representatives of this class lived. Art, literature, music, and theater occupied an important place in their lives. According to the memoirs of his contemporaries, Ivan Fedorovich, in his manners and appearance, looked more like not a merchant, but an English prime minister. It must be said that ten to fifteen years later the Mamontovs had already firmly established themselves in Moscow, gained authority and occupied a prominent place in the merchant community and in city government.

Savva entered St. Petersburg University, then transferred to the Faculty of Law of Moscow University. His father I.F. Mamontov was a supporter of liberalism. Having moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg, he was a supporter of conservatism.

I. F. Mamontov began building railways. In the summer of 1863, the Moscow-Troitsk Railway was launched. Ivan Fedorovich was elected a member of the board of this road. Savva became more and more interested in theater and joined a theater group. Savva’s father was concerned about his son’s idle hobbies. Savva himself studied worse and worse at the university.

Seeing this, Ivan Fedorovich Mamontov decided to send Savva on the affairs of the Trans-Caspian Partnership (he was its co-founder) to Baku. In the fall of 1863, Savva Mamontov began to head the central Moscow branch of the partnership.

In 1864, Savva visited Italy, where he began taking singing lessons. In 1864, Savva Mamontov came to Italy to improve his health a little and get acquainted with the intricacies of the silk trade. In addition, it was in Milan that the famous La Scala theater was located - the heart of world opera. In Italy, Savva Ivanovich became seriously interested in opera and even began taking singing lessons. There he also met the daughter of the Moscow merchant Grigory Grigorievich Sapozhnikov, Elizaveta, who later became his wife (wedding in 1865 in Kireevo). The Sapozhnikov family occupied a high position in society, and consent to marriage was a confirmation of the strength of the Mamontovs’ position. Elizabeth was about 17 years old, she was not particularly beautiful, but she loved to read, sang, and played a lot of music. The young family settled in a house on Sadovaya-Spasskaya Street, bought by Savva Mamontov’s father.

In 1869, Ivan Fedorovich Mamontov died. Chizhov involved Savva in independent entrepreneurial activity, and in 1872, on his recommendation, Savva took the post of director of the Moscow-Yaroslavl Railway Society. Savva Mamontov is elected a member of the City Duma and a full member of the Society of Lovers of Commercial Knowledge, becoming a recognized member of the Moscow merchant class. Upon returning from abroad, Savva and his wife settled on Sadovo-Spasskaya, in a house that Ivan Timofeevich Mamontov purchased for them. In the 1860s, Ivan Timofeevich worked closely with F.V. Chizhov, a former professor of mathematics, who was on friendly terms with Gogol, Aksakov, Polenov and other famous representatives of art and culture. Around the same time, Mamontov began to actively participate in public life.

In 1870, Savva Ivanovich acquired a vast estate twelve miles from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the former dacha of the writer S. T. Aksakov - Abramtsevo, and in a relatively short time turned it into a comfortable estate. A hospital, a school, a bridge, a dam on the Vore River were built, the road was improved, workshops for artists, a church and many other buildings were built, a greenhouse was created, and a beautiful garden was laid out.

Mamontov’s entrepreneurial activity harmonized well with his spiritual and intellectual interests. He was aware of the latest trends in fine arts and literature, was related to Tretyakov and knew his collection well. First of all, the Mamontov couple was looking for an opportunity to breathe new life into Russian art, to fill it with the national spirit. In their opinion, the Russian artistic style should have ceased to be associated with obsolete antiquities. The Mamontovs were not only carried away by this idea themselves, but were also able to captivate many creative people. The Mamontov estate, located not far from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, became the center around which the “Abramtsevo circle” took shape, essentially bringing to life the ideas expressed by Savva Mamontov and his wife. However, sometimes its participants themselves gave birth to new ideas, for the implementation of which Mamontov came up with the most successful forms. This circle initially included professor of art history A.V. Prakhov, boarders of the Academy of Arts M.M. Antokolsky, I.E. Repin and V.D. Polenov. Every summer they came to Abramtsevo, where Mamontov set up a workshop for them. Over time, the circle expanded to include “storytellers” V.M. Vasnetsov and M.A. Vrubel, landscape painters I.I. Levitan, I.S. Ostroukhov, as well as A.M. Vasnetsov, N.V. Nevrev, K.A. Korovin. In Abramtsevo M.V. found his own style. Nesterov. Some of these artists will not only visit Abramtsevo, but also live here for a long time, creating the most famous of their paintings. Savva Mamontov had a keenly developed sense of talented people. For example, he was one of the first to understand the scale of V.M.’s talent. Vasnetsov and M.A. Vrubel, while those around them looked at their work as an incomprehensible phenomenon, and therefore unnecessary.

The famous Russian industrialist himself had many creative talents: he studied singing, was a sculptor, musician, director, and author of dramatic works. Wherever he was, he was always the center around which gifted people were grouped. Savva Ivanovich tirelessly searched for and strongly supported young artists, saying that his main talent was “finding talents.” He did not so much collect and sponsor art as “move it forward” and participate in its formation and development. As the artist V.M. Vasnetsov said, “there was always some kind of electric current in him, igniting the energy of those around him. God gave him a special gift to stimulate the creativity of others.

“Conversations at the samovar” eventually grew into drawing evenings, where everyone demonstrated their skills. Savva Ivanovich provided significant moral and material support to many beginning and recognized masters of art. The entrepreneur did everything to ensure that the talent did not die in poverty and abandonment. In the desperately needy Vrubel, who was not yet widely known, he immediately saw the originality of his creative nature. Before this, the Mamontov family sheltered the needy Vasnetsov, then Serov and Korovin, who then lived and worked for a long time in a hospitable house at the Red Gate.

In an estate near Moscow and in a house on Sadovaya, artists created works that formed the golden fund of national art: “Seeing off a recruit” and portraits of Repin’s Mamontovs; “Bogatyrs”, “Battle of the Russians with the Scythians”, “Flying Carpet”, “Three Princesses of the Underground Kingdom” by Vasnetsov; “The Sitting Demon” by Vrubel; countless drawings by Serov, his famous portrait of Savva Ivanovich’s eldest daughter, Vera (“Girl with Peaches”); drawings and scenery sketches by Polenov, Korovin and much more.

Music was often played in the Mamontovs' house. Musical evenings were held here, at which works by Beethoven, Schumann, Mozart, Mussorgsky, Glinka, Dargomyzhsky and other composers were performed. Sometimes Savva Timofeevich himself, who had vocal talent, performed in front of the guests. The Morozovs also staged home performances, in one of which in 1878 17-year-old K.S. took part. Alekseev, later known as Stanislavsky.

In 1882, private theater troupes were allowed by law, and Mamontov was the first to dare to establish an entirely new type of opera house. Before this, Russian opera productions were focused on the correct singing of notes, but Savva Ivanovich conceived the idea of creating a complete work on stage in which singers, actors, musicians and artists would take part on equal terms. This was a completely new task, and it had to be solved without relying on experience.

It was decided to recruit young singers who had not yet performed on the state stage into the troupe of the Moscow Private Russian Opera. Mamontov did not officially hold any positions in the new theater, but he took an active part in rehearsals, directed the actors, and told them that “opera is not a concert in costumes against the backdrop of scenery.” To begin with, it was decided to stage three operas: “Rusalka” by A.S. Dargomyzhsky, "Faust" by C. Gounod and "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by O. Nikolai. The first performance of "Rusalka" took place in January 1885 in the building of the Lianozovsky Theater. Drawings for costumes and scenery were created by artist V.M. Vasnetsov, the scenery was painted by young K.A. Korovin, I.I. Levitan, N.P. Chekhov. They also designed “Faust” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor” based on sketches by V. D. Polenov. It was thanks to Savva Mamontov that the concept of “theater artist” appeared. Despite the fact that all the tickets for the premiere were sold out, the production was not a success, and subsequently the seats in the hall often remained empty, and rather sharp critical notes appeared in the press.

A lot of time and effort had to be spent before Mammoth's opera began to receive rave reviews. In 1898, the Mamontov Theater successfully toured St. Petersburg, after which an enthusiastic article by V.V. Stasov, in which he highly appreciated the role of Mamontov in the development of Russian opera. It was thanks to Savva Ivanovich that Chaliapin’s stage star lit up, the talent of the conductor and composer Rachmaninov became known, and the music of Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov found its audience.

The creation of a private opera and its further material support, before the performances began to pay off, required large and regular expenses; it can be assumed that in the first year of the theater’s founding, Mamontov spent about three million rubles on it, but his investments did not end there, and continued for several years. It should be noted that Mamontov’s theatrical patronage was completely disinterested; he did not have any benefit from this enterprise. Over time, Mamontov’s abilities, artistic taste and flair were appreciated in the creative community, and he was asked for his opinion and light on many issues. For example, Stanislavsky called Savva Ivanovich his teacher of aesthetics.

K. S. Stanislavsky recalled: “Mamontov, being a patron of the arts in the field of opera, gave a powerful impetus to the culture of Russian opera: he promoted Chaliapin, made Mussorgsky, rejected by many experts, popular through him, created in his theater the enormous success of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “Sadko” and thereby contributed to the awakening of his creative energy and the creation of “The Tsar’s Bride” and “Saltan,” written for the Mammoth opera and performed here for the first time.” In other words, the famous industrialist was not just a philanthropist, but a real artistic director of each of his new enterprises.

In addition, he led an active public life, was elected a member of the Moscow City Duma, and was a full member of the Society of Lovers of Commercial Knowledge. For a long time he was the chairman of the Delvigovsky Railway School in Moscow. Together with his namesake Savva Morozov, Mamontov also showed himself in the opposition movement: two of the largest Moscow entrepreneurs started publishing the liberal newspaper Rossiya in St. Petersburg, which was later closed by censorship.

With such a busy life schedule, Mamontov had to be torn between business and art; acquaintances found that Savva Ivanovich copes well with the widest range of obligations undertaken. All his undertakings in cultural and social life required large financial investments, which could only be earned as a result of entrepreneurial activity. activities. However, Savva Ivanovich was guided not only by the opportunity to make a profit, he also wanted to benefit people. Under his leadership in the early 1890s. The board of the Moscow-Yaroslavl road decided to extend the railway line from Vologda to Arkhangelsk, Mamontov was confident that the implementation of the project would contribute to the development of the Russian North. The practical implementation of this complex engineering and economic task required almost doubling the length of the railway track, to 1826 miles, which made it one of the longest in Russia. The board of the Moscow-Yaroslavl-Arkhangelsk Railway Company appointed S.I. Mamontov as its chairman, and his brother Nikolai became one of the two directors.

In his life, Mamontov did not chase awards and titles. He did his job modestly, without regard to the impression it made on others. This attitude of the entrepreneur to the evaluation of his work was not clear to everyone. Therefore, it is not surprising that he did not have many friends among the merchants. In parallel with the construction of the Arkhangelsk branch, Savva Ivanovich began to implement a grandiose project, the goal of which was to create a large industrial association. After the Donetsk railway was bought by the state in 1890, Mamontov decided to invest the proceeds in the acquisition of mechanical workshops and factories. It was assumed that the newly acquired enterprises would make it possible not to depend on third-party, mostly foreign, suppliers of railway equipment and rolling stock.

In St. Petersburg, the Nevsky Ship and Locomotive Plant was purchased, on the basis of which the Moscow Partnership of the Nevsky Mechanical Plant was created. There it was planned to start producing carriages and steam locomotives, as well as the necessary tools and equipment used on the railways. To supply production with raw materials, Mamontov acquired the Nikolaev Metallurgical Plant in the Nizhneudinsky District of the Irkutsk Province, transformed into the “Society of East Siberian Iron and Mechanical Plants,” and also began expanding the carriage building plant in Mytishchi near Moscow. In these companies he became chairman of the board of directors

To implement the plans to re-equip the factories, huge financial investments were required. The weak point of the combination was that Mamontov did not have a reliable source of lending and he began to subsidize industrial enterprises from the Northern Railway cash desk. But soon this turned out to be not enough. All this time, St. Petersburg financiers closely followed the activities of the Moscow industrialist, who was trying to take an independent position in the railway market. After all possibilities for finding the necessary funds had been exhausted, Savva Ivanovich, on the advice of the Russian Minister of Finance S. Yu. Witte, turned to bankers. Thus, another participant entered the business of creating the Mamontov railway concern - the director of the St. Petersburg International Commercial Bank A. Yu Rothstein. This banker was Witte's confidant and had numerous connections in European financial centers. The hopeless situation forced S.I. Mamontov to take a risky step. In August 1898, he sold 1,650 shares of Northern Road to the International Bank and at the same time received a special loan secured by the shares and notes owned by his family.

In fact, his entire fortune was at stake. Nevertheless, the measures taken did not lead to the desired result and at the end of July 1899, the board of the Moscow-Yaroslavl-Arkhangelsk Road, headed by the chairman, resigned. Soon Savva Ivanovich was arrested and placed in Taganskaya prison, and all his property was seized. Creditors presented debt obligations for collection and demanded the sale of the Mamontov family’s house on Spasskaya-Sadovaya with all its artistic values.

The exact circumstances of this criminal case still remain unclear, but, apparently, Mamontov simply became a “scapegoat.” This whole “Mammoth Panama,” as they said then, was one of the episodes in the struggle between the state and private railway industries. The government headed by S. Yu. Witte tried with all its might to take over private railways. In addition, it was believed that the collapse of the entrepreneur was associated not only with the fact that he took on an unbearable financial burden. As a contemporary wrote, “he was ruined and disgraced mainly for his apostasy from the traditions of the Moscow merchants.” If Mamontov had not been a black sheep among the industrial oligarchs, he, of course, would have found support from them, avoiding scandal and dishonor. The newspaper stream of sensational “revelations” led to the fact that some acquaintances turned away from the prisoner.

But there were people who did not change their attitude towards the disgraced businessman. Some worked hard for his cause, others tried to support him in difficult times. For example, Savva Morozov was ready to pay a bail for his namesake, but the police authorities raised it from 700 thousand to 5 million rubles - even a wealthy textile magnate retreated before such a sum. Stanislavsky wrote to a prisoner in prison: “There are many people who think about you every day and admire your spiritual vigor.” It is noteworthy that the workers and employees of the Northern Road collected money to “ransom” their owner. He spent more than five months in solitary confinement. And only after the conclusion of the medical commission that Mamontov “suffers from lung and heart diseases” did the investigator reluctantly agree to replace prison detention with house arrest.

In the summer of 1900, the trial began in the Moscow District Court. The famous lawyer F.N. Plevako was invited to defend S.I. Mamontov. No one (and there were dozens of witnesses in the case) said anything bad about Savva Ivanovich. All their statements boiled down to the fact that the identified violations were not the result of malicious intent. After the jury’s acquittal, Stanislavsky later wrote, “the hall trembled with applause. They couldn’t stop the applause and the crowd, which rushed to hug their favorite with tears.” Despite the fact that “he did not return material contentment, he increased his love and respect for himself tenfold.” Mamontov merchants entrepreneurial Abramtsevo

To pay off debts, almost all the property of the Mamontov family was auctioned off. Several paintings from his collection were acquired by the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum. And Savva Ivanovich himself, at the end of 1900, settled in a small wooden house behind the Butyrskaya outpost, which belonged to his daughter Alexandra. His pottery workshop was transferred here from Abramtsevo. In it, together with Vrubel and master ceramist P.K. Vaulin, he was engaged in the production of majolica - artistic ceramics covered with glaze. The most famous creations of the “new art” were executed here, including the panel “Princess of Dreams”, which adorns the façade of the Metropol Hotel.

Mamontov now appeared relatively rarely in public, lived secludedly, and communicated with a narrow circle of relatives and friends. Having lost a lot, he retained his love for art and the people of this world until the end of his days. His old friends did not forget him. V. A. Serov, V. M. Vasnetsov, A. Korovin, V. D. Polenov, V. I. Surikov, I. E. Grabar, S. P. Dyagilev, F. I. Shalyapin and other masters of Russian culture often visited the disgraced philanthropist.

The revolution found the former “railway king” seriously ill. In the spring of 1918, he fell ill with pneumonia and died on March 24 in his workshop near the Butyrskaya outpost. Then his body was transported to Abramtsevo and buried near the Spasskaya Church.

At the funeral service, V. Vasnetsov said: “People like Savva Ivanovich should be especially appreciated by us, Russians, where art, alas, has lost touch with the native soil that nourished it in the old days. We need individuals who not only create in art itself, but also create the atmosphere and environment in which art can live, produce, develop and improve. Such were the Medici in Florence, Pope Julius II in Rome and all those like them, creators of the artistic environment in their city. Such was our deceased friend.”

A decade and a half passed, the Bolsheviks established themselves in Russia and the names of people like Mamontov were forgotten and spat upon. But there were still alive those who remembered well the good deeds of this “strangler of the proletariat,” a capitalist who devoted so much effort and money to the development of national art. When the International Competition of Opera Performers was held in London in 1933, the first prize was awarded to F. Chaliapin. Speaking in front of a huge audience, the famous bass considered it his duty to say about the man who once gave him a start in life: “I want to remember my friend and teacher, Savva Ivanovich Mamontov. A wonderful singer, he unexpectedly abandoned this tempting path and gave his life, all his knowledge, all his great capital to the selfless service of Russian art.”

On October 15, 1841, Savva Mamontov was born. An unsuccessful businessman, a great philanthropist, the founder of theaters and operas, an embezzler and a prisoner in the Tagansk prison - Mamontov lived a colorful life. His contribution to the development of Russian art can hardly be overestimated.

It's not hard to learn

Among modern youth of school and college age, there is a fad: during times of poor performance, remember Einstein, who did not study so well. This, of course, serves as an excellent moral justification for poor studies, but it is somehow unpatriotic. We will help the rebellious losers. There was Savva Mamontov in Russia. When going for a retake, you can reassure yourself with the thought: “Mamontov was also a bad student.”

Savva Mamontov, the son of a wealthy industrialist, studied well only in those subjects that he liked. In the Mamontovs' house, when Savva was still only 15 years old, amnestied Decembrists gathered. He grew up a rebellious and dreamy boy. He began to get involved in the theater, so much so that his Father, Ivan Fedorovich, began to fear for the fate of his son, but he did not interfere with this hobby. Savva’s mother died when the future millionaire was only 11 years old. Another student passed Latin at the gymnasium for Savva, and Savva entered the Faculty of Law of Moscow University, while continuing to passionately love art and theater. A poet and a lawyer will fight in Mamontov’s soul from childhood.

Railway

For the mid-19th century, railroads were the most profitable and innovative thing. The “railroad boom” can be compared to the emergence and development of the Internet. It was both “NANO” and “NUNO” of the then Russia. The railway could become Croesus's treasury for its builder, or it could become a new stone. The second option happened to Mamontov.

At first, the son did not even want to approach the gold mine of “Railways”, which Savva’s father had discovered. In general, he was not particularly eager to join the family business, preferring to engage in theater and travel to Italy to take singing lessons. However, thanks to the patronage of the director of the Moscow-Yaroslavl Railway Society, Savva gets involved in the business, but at first he can’t get carried away. You must understand that from childhood Mamontov taught only those subjects that he loved. Mamontov also fell in love with railways. This is the case when love leads to tragedy.

Savva Mamontov took an unconventional approach to the names of his children. Their names were: Sergey, Andrey, Vsevolod, Vera, Alexandra. As you can understand, by the first letters of the names, SAVVA is clearly considered. Translated from Hebrew, “Sawa” means old man, sage. By the way, Savva’s son, Sergei, was like his father: he created a theater of miniatures, was a playwright and poet.

Abramtsevo

In 1870, that is, in the 29th year of Savva’s life, he and his wife Elizaveta Grigorievna came to inspect the house in Abramtsevo. The house was so-so, but the area around convinced Savva to take it. Obviously, this was a “place of power” and Savva felt it with the fibers of his poetic soul. Intuition did not disappoint: a few years later Abramtsevo became a creative laboratory, where I. E. Repin, M. M. Antokolsky, V. M. Vasnetsov, V. A. Serov, M. A. Vrubel, M. V. lived and worked for a long time Nesterov, V. D. Polenov and E. D. Polenova, K. A. Korovin. Of the singers, Chaliapin often visited. The famous "Girl with Peaches" is Savva's daughter Vera. She will become the wife of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Alexander Samarin, but will die early from tuberculosis. In memory of his wife, Samarin will build a church, and after his release from prison he will live in the same Abramtsevo.

Fyodor Chaliapin played an important role in Mamontov’s life. It was thanks to Mamontov that Chaliapin “rose up.” The Russian private opera, organized by Mamontov, gave rise to many talents, but Fyodor Chaliapin also played an ambiguous role in Savva’s life. Mamontov paid a huge penalty for Chaliapin’s transfer to his troupe, but was too zealous a teacher for the freedom-loving Fedor. As a result, Chaliapin returned to the Bolshoi.

When Mamontov was serving a prison sentence for embezzling railroad money for art, Chaliapin never visited him. Korovin visited Mamontov at his son’s house, where Savva was transferred under house arrest. Savva Ivanovich sadly said to the artist: “I wrote to Fedenka Chaliapin, but for some reason he didn’t visit me.” Serov said succinctly to Korovin about this: “Not enough heart.” Before his death, Mamontov bequeaths that Chaliapin should not be allowed to attend his funeral (Mamontov’s funeral, of course).

Later in his autobiography, Chaliapin would write: “I owe my fame to Savva Ivanovich. I will be grateful to him all my life...” So understand these artists after this...

Humble teacher

To theatergoers: “Why is Stanislavsky always mentioned when mentioning acting techniques and never Mamontov?” As a child, little Savva attended a drama club with his childhood friend, also from the merchant class, Kostya Alekseev, who later took a sonorous pseudonym - Stanislavsky. Mamontov acted as Kudryash in “The Thunderstorm”, and the role of Wild was played by the author himself - Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky.

Many years later, Stanislavsky would call Mamontov his teacher. Mamontov can be considered the founder of an entire theater and opera school. His name has become a household name in the context of charity and patronage of the arts, but Savva Mamontov was not a crafty investor who profited from art. He was a weak investor, his craving for beauty to the detriment of business ruined the director, dreamer and great clever Savva.

There were not two or ten rich people in Russia. Most of them multiply their capital, vegetate in foreign resorts, change wives and mistresses, send their children to prestigious universities... Mamontov’s father may have gotten his son into university through connections, and Savva got the job through patronage, but his life model is strikingly different The behavior of this person is different from the behavior of most “majors” and nouveau riche. Mamontov lived some kind of crazy dream about the priority of the beautiful over the everyday. Who else among the rich will buy an old house, turn it into a paradise for artists, will dedicate huge sums to charity, will serve in prison for this... Mamontov, after all the vicissitudes and betrayals (except for Chaliapin, he was betrayed by Witte himself), will give up and begin to age quickly . He will find himself in the shadows, alone and poor. The man who raised Russian art at the cost of his own life.

Date and place of birth - October 15, 1841, Yalutorovsk, Tobolsk province, Russian Empire (now Tyumen region).

Date and place of death - April 6, 1918 (76 years old), Abramtsevo, Moscow province, RSFSR (now Moscow region).

Savva Mamontov is not just a merchant. And not even just a philanthropist. He is a director, playwright, singer, sculptor. Owner of the Private Opera, which made Fyodor Chaliapin a great artist. In Mamontov’s home theater, the young merchant Konstantin Alekseev played, who later took the pseudonym Stanislavsky.

Bography

In 1852, Savva Mamontov’s mother, Maria Tikhonovna, died. The Mamontov family moved to a simpler, but also more spacious house. Savva, together with his brother, was sent to a gymnasium and studied there for a year without much success. In August 1854, Savva, along with his cousins, was enrolled in the Institute of the Corps of Mining Engineers, whose students received both engineering and military knowledge. Savva demonstrated good behavior, but had a tendency to get carried away with subjects that interested him, ignoring others: thus, having quickly learned German and having excellent scores in it, he received twos and threes in Latin. He was not particularly successful in education, which caused concern to his father.

Beginning in 1858, Savva regularly visited the theater and expressed his opinion about the productions in his diary. Savva’s family organized evenings where there were discussions of plays and books, singing, and playing music.

In 1860, Savva failed the Latin exam and was enrolled in repeated studies. Both he and his father took it hard. Another young man passed Latin for Savva, and Savva himself entered the Imperial St. Petersburg University, then transferred to the Faculty of Law of Moscow University.

In 1864, Savva went to Italy to receive treatment and study the situation in local markets. Here he meets his future wife, Elizaveta Grigorievna Sapozhnikova. The 17-year-old girl was not particularly beautiful. But this is not what attracted Savva Mamontov to her. She was interested in art, sang beautifully, read a lot and studied music. A year later, a magnificent wedding took place, after which the newlyweds settled in Moscow.

Railway tycoon

“He is not a philanthropist, but a friend of artists,” the famous painter Viktor Vasnetsov said about Savva Ivanovich, the Mamontov estate is a real center of Russian artistic culture. Repin, Polenov, Levitan, Nesterov, Korovin, Antokolsky lived and worked here. Serov wrote his textbook “Girl with Peaches” also in Abramtsevo - with Mamontov’s daughter.

Savva Ivanovich lived in the world of art, but did not forget about business. As a businessman, Mamontov was distinguished by a craving for large-scale and somewhat risky projects. This was especially true for railway construction.

Railways played an exceptional role in the Russian economy of that time. The railway magnates of that time can only be compared with the oil and gas oligarchs of today. It is not surprising that since the end of the 19th century the state has sought to take this business into its own hands.

But Savva Ivanovich started back in the time of Alexander II, when the government, on the contrary, sought to transfer roads into private hands. In the 1870s he built the Donetsk Railway. At that time, Donbass was not yet the largest industrial center. Many doubted the profitability of the event and called Mamontov an adventurer. However, the project was successfully completed.

Then Mamontov came up with the idea of setting up a concern to unite the entire cycle in one hand: from the production of equipment and rails to the construction of the road itself. For this purpose, he established the share partnership of the Nevsky Mechanical Plant.

Nevsky Mechanical Plant - the favorite place of the Russian philanthropist

Mamontov was inspired to his latest project by traveling along the northern coast of Russia. To develop the riches there, he decided to build a railway to Arkhangelsk. The idea was met with skepticism. But she found a powerful patron - Finance Minister Sergei Witte. He saw this highway as of great strategic importance and transferred the concession for the construction of the road to the “Joint Stock Company of the Moscow-Yaroslavl Railway”, control over which belonged to Mamontov.

Suicide note

Work was in full swing. According to contemporaries, Mamontov did not look for easy nailing and did not skimp on quality. This required the reconstruction of the Nevsky Plant, which was going through, to put it mildly, hard times. And Mamontov dreamed that steam locomotives for Russian railways would be expensively produced not abroad, but in Russia. That is, he pursued a policy of import substitution, which, alas, they could not appreciate in those days.

Savva Ivanovich and his companions committed a very reckless act: they transferred money from the “Joint Stock Company of the Moscow-Yaroslavl Railway” to the “Partnership of the Nevsky Mechanical Plant”. 6 million rubles more than was allowed by law. Both enterprises were controlled by Mamontov. But they were still joint stock. It turned out that Savva Ivanovich also transferred money from shareholders, putting their interests at risk. After all, a huge deficit had formed in the railway cash register.

With Sergei Witte

Sergei Yulievich Witte, the prime minister, acted disinterestedly in the “Mamontov case.”

The Minister of Finance intervened in the matter, who, knowing about the not entirely legal transactions with money, continued to support Savva Ivanovich. Or pretended to support. Witte gave Mamontov a concession for the construction of the Northern Railway St. Petersburg - Vyatka, which was supposed to bring quick profits and improve matters. The same Witte advised the entrepreneur who found himself in a difficult situation to take out a significant loan from the banker Rothstein, his confidant.

The loan was taken, but then Witte unexpectedly took away the license to build a road to Vyatka. This meant the collapse of Mamontov. They said that Minister of Justice Nikolai Muravyov was digging under Savva. And Witte, who was not without sin in this whole story, handed over Mamontov with his giblets.

But in general, Witte’s action was fully consistent with his economic concerns. At that time, the Minister of Finance already firmly believed that the railways should belong to the treasury. He believed that it should not be allowed to “create, as it were, special kingdoms, railway ones, in which little railway kings reigned” in the state.

The investigation into the “Mamontov case” has begun. The audit revealed the fact of illegal transfer of 6 million rubles. External management was introduced at the railway and at the plant, headed by an official with the surname Khitrovo.

Mamontov could not cover the ill-fated 6 million. He was arrested. During the arrest, a note from what is commonly called a suicide note and a loaded pistol, which Mamontov did not have time to use, were found in the office. Or didn't dare.

In the dock

Khitrovo fully lived up to its name: shares of the Northern Road and the Nevsky Plant were transferred to the treasury for a third of the cost. Both the Moscow-Yaroslavl road and its Arkhangelsk branch went to the state, although, in theory, they should have gone to the creditor Rothstein. There is one less “railway king”.

It was rumored that Witte also had a personal interest in this matter - he played a little on the price of shares, which he bought through his wife’s relatives. Meanwhile, Mamontov’s property was going under the hammer. He himself, sitting in prison, remained amazingly calm. He wrote, translated and even sculpted from memory a bust of Witte, whom he was actually supposed to curse.

The Moscow business world was on Mamontov’s side, but did not dare to openly challenge the authorities. But the bohemians, who are often accused of ingratitude and selfishness, did not abandon their former patron. The only exceptions were, perhaps, Korovin and Chaliapin, who immediately left the Private Opera and never visited the disgraced philanthropist in prison.

The rest of the cultural masters clapped for Mamontov wherever they could. Valentin Serov personally persuaded Nicholas II to release Mamontov under house arrest. Vasily Surikov and Vasily Polenov hired the best criminal lawyer for him - Fyodor Plevako. Railway workers also collected money for Mamontov’s “ransom”.

With ud and freedom

The famous lawyer Plevako built his defense on the indisputable fact of the lack of self-interest in the actions of Mamontov and his companions. Mammoth had to reimburse the notorious 6 million. The verdict was met with applause. Plevako received another dose of fame. Mamontov left the courtroom free, but completely ruined.

The railways went to the treasury, the mansion with all the works of art was sold. The private opera was able to exist for another two years. The tycoon turned into a private citizen. He spent the rest of his life in Abramtsevo and in a small house near the Butyrskaya outpost, where he had a small pottery factory, where he sometimes worked at the machine.

The “Mamontov case” is not even a struggle between private capital and the state. Savva Ivanovich, unlike many other representatives of the Moscow merchants, was never interested in politics. He simply fell under the millstone of the state machine, which, without hesitation, broke this eccentric merchant who dreamed of the glory of Russian art and the development of the vast expanses of the Russian North.

Source: the Internet and the magazine “Riddles of History”. Author – Gleb Stashkov.

Savva Ivanovich Mamontov - Russian philanthropist, director, singer and sculptor updated: October 4, 2017 by: website

Back in school, we learn about Savva Mamontov from a footnote at the bottom of the page in a history textbook. At best, there is a note that Savva Mamontov is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and collector. However, this is not all the information; there was a lot of interesting things in the life of the Moscow Medici. Thanks to him, the world learned about the name of Fyodor Chaliapin; his estate near Moscow became a place of attraction for artists. But first things first.

Family of Savva Mamontov

Savva Mamontov was born on October 14, 1841 in the Siberian city of Yalutorovsk. His father Ivan Mamontov was engaged in wine farming: farmers paid the state a tax on alcohol and received the right to sell it at their own prices. Then he moved with his family to Moscow, where he began selling wine. He founded the Trans-Caspian Trade Partnership, acquired shares of the Moscow-Kursk Railway, and participated in the construction of the Moscow-Yaroslavl Railway. Thus, the sons of Ivan Mamontov became the owners of a large inheritance.

Savva studied at the gymnasium, and then at the university, studying, however, through a stump. Not being too keen on science, he had enough time to attend drama school and attend meetings of political circles. The police even suspected him of being a revolutionary, so Savva Mamontov had to move to Baku for a while and work in the office of the Transcaspian Trading Society. This trip affected the young man’s health, but gave him a chance to visit Milan, the capital of art, for health purposes. There he had the chance to try himself as an opera singer and truly fell in love with art (and with his wife, Elizaveta Sapozhnikova).

Cultural center "Abramtsevo"

The young couple chose the Abramtsevo estate, which previously belonged to Sergei Aksakov. As under the previous owner, artists were warmly received at the estate. They staged rich performances and organized receptions. Mamontov jumped at the opportunity to create his own theater when the state monopoly on entertainment enterprises was abolished in 1882. In January 1885, the Krotkov Theater opened in Moscow with the premiere of “The Mermaid” by Alexander Dragomyzhsky, which went down in history as the “Mamontov Opera”. The debut of the Private Opera took place on Kamergersky Lane, in Lianozov’s house, where the Moscow Art Theater would later be located.

The troupe was very young - the oldest soloists were 25 years old, so Savva Mamontov decided to “raise” his own actors, hire them the best teachers and make a splash throughout Russia. European stars performed on the stage of his theater, but the amateur approach to the matter still ruined the idea. The theater closed.

In 1896, the Mammoth troupe resumed work under the guise of the Winter Private Opera. There Fyodor Chaliapin made his debut, performing the main roles in operas

"Ivan Susanin"
"Faust"
"Mermaid"
"Pskovian woman."

Sergei Rachmaninov became his teacher, and Vrubel, Polenov, Vasnetsov, Korovin worked on the sets and costumes.

The Rise and Fall of a Tycoon's Empire

You, brother, are a businessman with the soul of an artist! How is it possible at the same time to direct the production of a home play, write a play, sculpt a sculpture and dictate papers on railway matters?

This is how Konstantin Alekseev spoke about Savva Mamontov, who later changed his last name to Stanislavsky.

Savva Mamontov combined two things at once. While in the service of the muses, he was engaged in family business, realizing the burden of responsibility entrusted to him. It was his father who chose him as his heir, although Savva had three brothers. But the eldest son Anatoly was, in Ivan Fedorovich’s opinion, a total fool - he caroused a lot, married a singer. The second, Fedor, suffered from nervous attacks. And the fourth, Nikolai, was still too young.

Savva Mamontov worked to expand the empire, although his actions seemed controversial to many. Its railways were considered unprofitable. The entrepreneur carried out his plan to create a railway network that would connect factories throughout the country. His Donetsk Railway (completed in 1882) became the most extensive railway network in the world! In 1890 it was bought by the state. As a return favor, Mamontov leased the Nevsky Shipbuilding and Mechanical Plant in St. Petersburg from the state. These terms were dictated by the Minister of Finance. On the basis of St. Petersburg production, the Moscow Partnership of the Nevsky Mechanical Plant was organized. The plant required modernization, but there were not enough funds for it, since they were invested in the construction of the next railway to Arkhangelsk. To carry out construction and fulfill agreements with the Minister of Finance, Savva Mamontov had to resort to fraud with securities, as a result of which the entrepreneur was under arrest.

Taganka, I am your permanent prisoner...

There are several options why such a successful tycoon played big and lost. The prosecutor of the Moscow district court, Alexey Lopukhin, believed that Sergei Witte, with his advice, deliberately brought forward the moment of collapse of the Mamontov empire in order to buy out a private company into the state treasury.

Another version says that Witte himself was not in the best position, because his longtime enemy, Muravyov, was appointed as the new Minister of Justice. When Witte was informed that Muravyov had “unearthed” financial manipulations with the construction of the Moscow-Arkhangelsk road, he hastened to detonate this mine himself, ordering an audit of Mamontov in order to blame Savva alone. However, he did not miss the opportunity to make a fair amount of money from the sale of Mamontov’s property.

Sculptures by Antakolsky, paintings by Vrubel, Serov, Repin, Koroviev, Vasnetsov were sold at auction. His “favorites,” on whom he rewrote his private opera, rushed to sell costumes and scenery.

There are many people who think about you every day and admire your spiritual vigor.

It is noteworthy that workers and employees of the Northern Road collected money to “ransom” their owner. When Savva Mamontova was found not guilty and he was released from prison, he already seemed like an old man.

“It was an amazing process. A person is accused of a crime for selfish purposes, and if anything was said at the trial, it was only about his selflessness,” wrote the editor of “Russian Word” Vlas Doroshevich after the trial of Savva Mamontov.