Bashkirtseff
Orig | CZ

Vassilissa Babanine

Moderate Aktualizováno: 2025-12-07

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Book 00 (1884 preface)

Identity

Vassilissa Babanine was Marie's great-aunt, the sister of Grand-papa (Marie's maternal grandfather). She was described as having been "belle, riche, jeune, élégante, charmante et spirituelle" (beautiful, rich, young, elegant, charming and witty) in her youth but died abandoned and impoverished in a small room at her brother's estate.

Life Story

Early Life - Wealth and Status

  • Beautiful, wealthy, young, elegant, charming, and witty
  • Very spoiled by her father
  • Dominated everyone in the family
  • Her brother (Grand-papa) maintained respect and admiration for her
  • Never married despite her advantages

Decline - From Elegance to Abandonment

Marie describes Vassilissa's tragic descent with powerful imagery:

Symbol of Her Status: When she visited Grand-papa's estate, "on endimanchait la maison" (they dressed up the house as for Sunday). The terrace would be decorated with plants and "un air de fête régnait dans la maison" (an air of celebration reigned in the house).

The Permanent Visit: One time she came as usual for a visit. A few weeks later, they removed the plants from the terrace - but she stayed forever. "Toujours vénérée de moins en moins" (always revered less and less).

Final Years: After Grand-papa left, her adopted daughter #Nadine_Martinoff and #Alexandre relegated her to a miserable room in an old pavilion where she died - abandoned by everyone.

Failed Inheritance Schemes

Before adopting Nadine, there were attempts to acquire Vassilissa's fortune:

  • #Georges had proposed to marry her himself
  • He had already tried to obtain the fortune of another aunt
  • After much scheming ("bien des tripotages"), he only got 12,000-15,000 rubles from her
  • This "vieille fille" (old maid) came to die in a small room at Grand-papa's house

The Adoption Scheme

Vassilissa became "maniaque et un peu ridicule" (obsessive and a bit ridiculous) in her later years. She adopted an orphan, Nadine Martinoff, who:

  • Was 14 years old when she abandoned her protector
  • Left Vassilissa to live at Grand-papa's Tcherniakovka estate "où il y avait plus de distractions" (where there were more distractions)
  • Had about 20,000 rubles
  • Was "endoctrinated" by Uncle Alexandre (who was "très pratique" - very practical)
  • Married Alexandre as soon as she was 15½ years old
  • Became part of "un couple excessivement rapace, cupide et heureux" (an excessively rapacious, greedy and happy couple)

Family Reaction

Grand-papa was furious about Alexandre's marriage to Nadine, though Marie notes that "presque tous ses fils se sont mariés sans le lui dire" (almost all his sons married without telling him).

Symbolic Significance

Vassilissa's life arc represents the vulnerability of unmarried aristocratic women:

  • Early power based on beauty, wealth, and family position
  • Gradual erosion of status as age diminished her assets
  • Betrayal by those she tried to help (adopted daughter)
  • Death in poverty despite having been wealthy
  • The plants on the terrace serving as a metaphor for her declining honor

Historical Context

In 19th century Russian aristocratic society:

  • Unmarried women of means were vulnerable to fortune hunters
  • Family members often schemed to acquire relatives' wealth
  • Adoption could be a strategy for securing inheritance
  • Women without male protectors faced precarious old age
  • The shift from "venerated" to abandoned reflects women's dependence on social performance

Related People

Related Location

Marie's Perspective

Marie tells this story in her retrospective preface with sharp social observation, noting the hypocrisy and greed of family members who claimed to honor Vassilissa while plotting to acquire her wealth. The image of the plants being removed from the terrace while Vassilissa remained - "toujours vénérée de moins en moins" - captures the cruelty of her gradual abandonment.

%%2025-12-07T18:45:00 RSR: Created based on Book 00 retrospective preface. Vassilissa's story exemplifies Marie's critique of family hypocrisy and the vulnerability of aristocratic women%%