Patron Savva Ivanovich Mamontov came from a merchant family. He was born on October 2, 1841 in the Siberian city of Yalutorovsk. When the boy was 8 years old, he moved with his parents to Moscow. Father Ivan Fedorovich traded in wine farmers. With his wife Maria, he had seven children, including two daughters who died early. Ivan Fedorovich moved to Moscow after he became a merchant of the first guild, and began to manage all the farms of the province. Things at the merchant went uphill, so the family lived in a big way. The Mamontovs had a mansion rented on Meshchanskaya Street, in which evening parties and balls were held.
Childhood
Although the Mamontovs belonged to the merchant class, family orders were very different from traditional ones in this environment. An important place in the life of this family was occupied by literature, art, theater, and music. The manners of Ivan Fedorovich more resembled the manners of the English lord than the merchant. Of course, the lifestyle of the elders greatly influenced the interests that Savva Mamontov acquired. The patron’s biography would have been different if not for the tastes of his own family. In addition, the tutor was engaged in the education of the boy, having learned his foreign languages and European manners.
At first, Savva studied at a regular gymnasium. Then his father transferred him to the Institute of the Civil Engineers Corps in St. Petersburg. This decision was far-sighted. Just then, railway construction was developing in Russia. Engineering professions in general have become extremely popular. Most of all, the student, however, loved the German language. Two years later, his father took him from St. Petersburg due to an epidemic of scarlet fever.
Youth
At 19, Savva Mamontov, whose biography was distinguished by numerous unexpected twists, entered the Moscow University, but then transferred to Moscow, where he chose the faculty of law. Despite this specialty, the main passion of the young man was theater. He did not miss a single high-profile premiere and revolved in the circles of the Moscow intelligentsia. The newly amnestied Decembrists even looked at the Mamontovs.
Ivan Fedorovich continued to successfully conduct business. He had several sons, but not one of them was interested in entrepreneurship. Hopes of the father were assigned precisely to Savva. In 1862, he sent his son to Baku, where he was to engage in trade affairs of the Trans-Caspian partnership. Within a few months, Savva Mamontov, whose biography made another zigzag, became head of the central Moscow branch of this organization.
In 1864, the entrepreneur went to Italy. Firstly, he wanted to take care of his health, and secondly, he was going to take a closer look at the silk trade. For this purpose, Lombardy was chosen. It has long been famous for its silkworm and silkworm industry. In Milan, Savva Ivanovich Mamontov met with the local legendary theater “La Scala”, where the best world operas were staged. The merchant was seriously interested in this type of art and even began to take amateur singing lessons.
Personal life
Young Savva Mamontov, whose personal life was extremely successful, met his future wife Elizaveta Sapozhnikova during his first Italian trip. The girl's father was a major silk merchant, because Savva's marriage union only strengthened the serious social status of his family.
Elizaveta really liked Ivan Fedorovich, and with great joy he approved the choice of his son. After the festive ceremony, the couple again went to Italy - this time on a honeymoon. The wife of Savva Mamontova gave birth to her husband five children. Their daughter Vera was portrayed by the painter Valentin Serov in his famous painting “Girl with Peaches”.
Heir Tycoon
Savva's father Ivan Fedorovich died in 1869, after which his family enterprise was transferred to his son. The successor was assisted by parental assistants. With them, the young entrepreneur not only preserved, but also increased his parental legacy. So in 1872, the new director, Savva Mamontov, became the head of the Moscow-Yaroslavl Railway Society. Biography of the merchant was associated with a variety of areas of entrepreneurship. At the same time as the railway, he owned a trading office that supplied building materials. Gradually Mamontov got used to lead an active social life.
Savva Ivanovich’s family nest was the Abramtsevo estate, bought from writer Sergei Aksakov. Spouses believed that their children better grow out of town away from unnecessary fuss and unhealthy surroundings. The tycoon, always distinguished by an ebullient love of activity, made a prosperous estate from Abramtsevo with its own school, church, greenhouses, garden, hospital, bridge and dam on the Vor River.
Patronage activities
Despite business activity, the merchant continued to be interested in art. He was familiar with all the main figures of the domestic intelligentsia of his time. In Abramtsevo even a circle of cultural figures was formed, organized by Savva Mamontov himself. Interesting facts about the life of an intellectual and philanthropist were combined with news of the next major transactions and enterprises. Mamontov gained all-Russian fame after he completed the construction of an important railway for the economy in the Donetsk coal basin. Communications were built in 1882. Eight years later, Savva Ivanovich sold them to the state for a fortune.
Mamontov had a particular weakness for artists. He was friends with Apollinarius Vasnetsov, Isaac Levitan, Vasily Surikov, Valentin Serov and other painters. The merchant was a relative of the creator of the main Moscow gallery, Pavel Tretyakov.
Patron of the arts
If necessary, the philanthropist Savva Mamontov helped artists not only mentally, but also financially. He was the true godfather of many young talents. For months, painters lived right in his house. Thanks to Savva Ivanovich, stars such as Vrubel, Vasnetsov, Korovin and Serov rose to their feet. Some of their paintings, which later became a universally recognized classic, were painted at Mamontov’s estate. Although the merchant did not collect directly, his paintings settled along with the advent of new acquaintances from the world of art.
The patronage of Savva Ivanovich helped the young Wanderers very much. In 1880, at the expense of a merchant, their album was published in large circulation. Mamontov also organized Moscow art exhibitions. Together with the noblewoman Maria Tenisheva, he financed the famous magazine "World of Art".
Passion for music and theater
Painting was not the only interest of the merchant. Music is another art that Savva Mamontov was sick with. Interesting facts about his tastes are well known on regular creative evenings that the entrepreneur arranged in his home. Here sounded the works of Schumann, Beethoven, Mozart, Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, Mussorgsky and other famous composers. Mamontov, who did not abandon his vocal lessons, sometimes spoke to the guests himself. He also staged home performances. One of the performances was played by the young Konstantin Alekseev, who later became the world famous theater director Stanislavsky.
In 1882, private troupes were legally allowed in Russia. One of those who immediately took advantage of new opportunities was Savva Mamontov. Abramtsevo was not only a refuge for artists. The philanthropist was interested in opera and, upset by the dismissive attitude of the Russian public to this type of art, decided to start organizing opera productions. He dreamed of whole works on stage, in which the work of musicians, artists, singers and actors could come together. Domestic productions haven’t been any different.
Conductor Nikolai Krotkov helped Savva Mamontov in selecting a new troupe. The organizers decided to invite young performers who have not yet performed in state theaters. Mamontov himself did not hold any position in the theater being created, although he regularly attended rehearsals and talked with actors.
Own troupe
At the beginning of 1885, the first performance of the Mammoth troupe Rusalka, staged based on the work of composer Alexander Dargomyzhsky, took place in a building owned by the Lianozovsky Theater . The scenery for him was created by Isaac Levitan and Apollinarius Vasnetsov. Then they worked on other performances (Faust and Windsor Mischief). There is no doubt that the “creative children” of Savva Mamontov became the first theater artists of Russia. Until that moment, serious painters did not do decorations for productions, considering this craft to be inappropriate to their level. There was a separate niche of illustrators depicting the same opera background landscapes: ancient ruins, medieval castles, the nature of Italy. The troupe of the "railway king" changed this established order.
For a long time, Mamontov’s experimental opera was not successful with the audience. Affected by the lack of experience of young "unfired" actors. The entrepreneur, however, was giving up, even despite sharp remarks in the press and criticism of friends who thought that a serious tycoon should not engage in such nonsense. The first high-profile tour of the theater took place only in 1898, when the mammoth troupe conquered St. Petersburg.
In addition to real monuments in Sergiev Posad and Yaroslavl, a peculiar monument to Savva Mamontov - artists who became famous thanks to his opera. These include the star of the stage Chaliapin, composers Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky.
Interesting Facts
The patronage of Mamontov was not limited to art alone. For a long time, he was chairman of the Delvigovsky Railway School in Moscow. Savva Ivanovich financed the construction of educational institutions, including in the northern provinces. He established the Kostroma Industrial School. In St. Petersburg, the tycoon organized the publication of the Rossiya newspaper, which was distinguished by its liberal views. It was closed in 1902 after a feuilleton appeared there, making fun of members of the royal family.
Mamontov's charitable interest in the north appeared due to the construction of a railway to Arkhangelsk. This project of his was particularly laborious and complex. From the very beginning, he did not promise quick and tangible profits. Savva Ivanovich took up the construction only out of a sense of civic duty and the realization that it was the new line that would accelerate the economic development of the north.
The road to Arkhangelsk was completed in 1897. It was of tremendous importance both for the northernmost region and for the whole country. Despite the scale of his activities, Savva Ivanovich did not seek state recognition. He did not look for ranks and awards, did not make connections with those in power. Nevertheless, the tycoon had high-ranking well-wishers and patrons. One of them was considered Minister of Finance Sergey Witte. After the construction of the railway to Arkhangelsk, the official achieved the award of Mamontov with the Order of St. Vladimir of the fourth degree.
Bankruptcy and recent years
In 1890, Savva Morozov set about his largest business project. It was to create a union of transport and industrial enterprises. For this, the tycoon acquired several outdated and requiring modernization factories. Their repair was worth a significant waste. Gradually, the family of Savva Mamontov was losing more and more money. In 1898, finding himself in a difficult situation, the entrepreneur decided on a risky financial transaction with shares of the Yaroslavl Railway. As a result of the sale of securities, Mamontov finally went bankrupt.
Trying to save himself from financial collapse, the philanthropist received a state concession for the construction of the railway from St. Petersburg to Vyatka. However, this only exacerbated the situation. In 1899, Mamontov ran out of money, he could no longer pay with numerous creditors. Moreover, the state in the person of the Ministry of Finance appointed an audit of the road being prepared.
The matter went to trial. Savva Ivanovich was sent to prison for several months, he lost his property. The businessman was accused of embezzlement. At the trial, he was defended by the prominent representative of the domestic bar Fyodor Plevako. Mamontov was acquitted, he was released to non-stop applause from the public. However, he no longer had any capital. Savva Ivanovich spent the rest of his life outside of public life. After the trial, he moved to a small house near Butyrskaya Zastava. Mammoths spoke only with a narrow circle of old friends, among whom were artists and artists known throughout the country. The philanthropist died on April 6, 1918 at the age of 76. He was buried in the village of Abramtsevo.