Vogel von Frizengof Alexandra Nikolaevna (Goncharov)

(27.06.1811 - 9.08.1891)
In 1852, in Alexandra Nikolaevna Goncharova, Natalia Nikolaevna's older sister - the wife A.S. Pushkin, passionately in love with an Austrian diplomat Baron Gustav von Vogel Frizengof. Published notes Baron Frizengof Alexandra Nikolaevna, when he was engaged to show that feelings were serious and deep, although both he and Alexandra Nikolaevna were no longer young, especially the notions of the time ... Years of family happiness for Alexandra Nikolaevna's been a long, strong and happy. She lived with her husband for 37 years.
The last years of her life she could not walk. She was taken to a wheelchair.
His heavy, corpulent old lady, the Baroness in a lace cap and lush dresses with frills little reminiscent of the old impetuous, thin as a reed, Alexandrine - the first rider from the secular Petersburg. Only her fingers to keep the previous subtle contours and longing for the smoothness of the piano keys. Sometimes she tried to overact some tunes from the past, but it was too hard, and she cut short musical phrase, not finishing. Now the daughter has played much better than her.
Natalie did everything better: writing, composing poems, translations of the German romantics, managed the estate, gave balls and gala dinners. It really was the Duchess of Oldenburg, although it was not carried out on estates to the laws of this title. She, her favorite and the only one, was happy in his unequal marriage with the Duke of Oldenburg.
. This marriage, marital happiness Natalia inherited from the mother, who married late, at forty with a small, but lived with her husband in a quiet married for over 30 years
. Alexandra Nikolaevna now often passed in memory of those happy years. How long since flown away and moments of his youth.

Czech chateau Brodzyany reminded her something long-abandoned factory Polotnyany: same calm unhurried flow of the river, lush greenery, a large park with ponds. Only the river was called not Karia, and Nitra. And they said everything about it in German, which the Baroness owned badly, then at some Slovak-Czech dialect, in which only a few words to remind Russian ... She used to relieved his feelings with her sister when she visited with children in Brodzyany, but it was long. Now it remained only memories. She loved and cherished them.

. Born future Baroness Alexandrine in June 1811 the first, a year before the invasion of Napoleon.

. Her father, Nicholas Afanasievich Goncharov, thin man, intelligent, educated abroad, in an accident - a fall from a horse - have suffered severe bouts of melancholy, almost quiet insanity
. Only in rare moments of enlightenment and peace of mind, children can experience the charm of his fine spiritual fascination and mind ... He played a little violin and they are spellbound, listening to these infrequent and therefore especially appreciate home concerts.

. Goncharov were nobles, but recent nobility, their behalf Polotnyany plant famous for its excellent horse of factories, and implement the order of the Imperial Court for the delivery of high quality paper and ship sails for the navy
. (Sails delivered under Peter the Great. Hence, perhaps, the name: plain factory.) Married Nicholas Afanasievich Goncharov real passion for the maid of honor to Empress Elizabeth Alekseevny, shiny beautiful and clever Natalya Ivanovna Zagryazhskoy. Their marriage began happily, although it seemed to many in society is too fast.
But the tragedy of Nikolai Afanasyevich abruptly ve changed. Due to illness of her husband proud, willful Natalia Ivanovna took all the management of large estates, factories and equestrian plant itself. To this was added soon and extensive, but burdened with debts, property Yaropolets, Natalia Ivanovna inherited from his father.
Uncontrolled autocracy much ruined her character. Three daughters growing up in a house with a tyrannical and proud mother sometimes became too crowded.
. The atmosphere in the house has always been troubling for another reason, that children and adults were in a constant state of tension waiting for new attacks rampage father
. They were like a sudden storm and submerged house in consternation and horror. Alexandra Nikolaevna in minute detail over many years could recall that once during dinner my father, sipping wine from a bottle, almost immediately ran, shouting to my mother, clutching the table-knife. With great difficulty she managed to cope with it and only then she ordered the children, . hardly daring without her permission to leave the room, . go to the nursery! Seems, . Such grim scenes could not but influence the nature of the Alexandrine, . which to many seemed closed, . cold, . serious beyond his years.,

. She herself suffered from melancholia, especially before marriage, it is expressed in a fit of bad temper and quiet depression.

. When depression is not, . she is very witty, . gay, . stings on the Kaluga friends, . fun on the county's balls, . devotes long hours by horse and pedestrian walks, . collect herbarium, . draws in the albums - it has a firm hand professional artist, . in Brodzyanskom Castle carefully preserved 8 albums with her watercolors and sketches portraits,
. This talent will be transmitted daughter, she becomes a student of the famous Austrian artist Lensbaha.

. She wrote a lot of living and witty letters in Russian and French, some of them published, stored in a part of the family archives Goncharova Frizengof.

. Even before the marriage, the younger sister, she, like all the young ladies of that time, led literary albums, ordered them liked the poems, quotes from favorite books
. Albums those preserved. Most of these poems A.S. Pushkin. She knew them by heart. According to the prince AV. Trubetskoy was in love with him (Pushkin) in absentia.

. This half-joking phrase, . uttered in the context of the nineteenth century, . with its subtle concepts coquetry, . "love of friendship" (by the way, . purely French expression, . the Russian language it is not at all), . gallantry and a code of conduct, . given rise to many Pushkin scholars - and early, . and late - to assume, . in future relations between Alexandra Nikolaevna and her famous husband, the beautiful sister was noticeable not akin to the proximity,
. Under the charm of frivolous stories Bartenev and Princess Vera Feodorovna Vyazemskaya got even shrewd Anna Akhmatova, dedicated her "enigma" of these relations in a sketch of his Pushkinovedcheskih works.
. It seems, in fact, everything was much easier
. And harder. As happens in life ... Arrived in autumn 1834 in the house of Pushkin and his wife, along with her older sister Catherine (cm. essay on the Baroness D'Antes) slender, dark-eyed girl, with mind-boggling waist "(pleasantry S.N. Karamzin), bearing a good rider, delicate ear for music, joyous laughter and witty, and sometimes angry, uvula.

. Originality of her mind, . devotion sisters, . and especially the youngest - Tash (home name Natalia Nikolaevna Pushkina), . subtlety observations, . all the liveliness and beauty of nature, . depth of which were hidden under restraint and coldness, . could not help noticing Pushkin ..,
. He could not make out with all the foresight and subtlety of his brilliant mind and causes anguish Alexandra Nikolaevna. Considered likely that is why it needs attention and care for relatives. Natalia, too, is perfectly understood and tried as best I could entertain and pamper her sister.

. Tosca, a similar anguish Alexandrine, inherent, probably every woman cherishes comfort and warmth of home, family care, attention, the living presence of children
. Time passed, and his house was still no. Alexander wrote to his brother Dmitri in 1835, in July: "One swallow my (horse - author) is intelligent, therefore I ask her to take care of!.. No wedding. Let it be the example of his mistress. A chtoN It's time! And time has passed, that and look - posedeesh.

In September it will add even more bitter and outspoken lines: "Do you know - I would not be surprised if one day lose my mind. Can not imagine how I feel changed, skisshey, unsustainable nature. Really, I izvozhu people who surround me. There are days when I could not utter a single word, and then I'm happy ... "
. The material also had the unenviable position - they Kathryn completely dependent on her brother, who was supposed to pay their annual maintenance in 3000 rubles., The vagaries of mother-bigots and graces Aunt - court lady Ekaterina Ivanovna Zagryazhskoy
. Ta, sparing no efforts and resources, helping her nieces, but money is not enough: a life in St. Petersburg, secular entertainment, mandatory court receptions (Alexandra Nikolaevna to December 1834 - in-waiting of the court) - all these were costly.

. Often in his letters to his brother Alexandra Nikolaevna lines like these: "Despite all our savings in cost, dear brother, the money we end
. We have, however, have a little money from the Tashi and I hope it will last us until January, we will try to hold out that long, but please, dear brother, do not make us wait any longer for money the first day of. You would not believe how hard for us to contact you with this request, knowing your affairs in straitened circumstances, but the kindness that you always showed to us, gives us the courage to bore you. We even send you a report at our cost, that you yourself saw that nothing superfluous, we currently do not allow ... "(All quotations from the letters - from the book NN. Rajewski "Portraits talk" A-Ata, Izd-vo "Zhazushy, 1983. v.1)

Two serious heart hobbies Alexandra Nikolaevna, too, ended in nothing: the heavy nature of the mother and the uncertainty in the material sense played a big role. For Alexander Y. Polivanova - Kaluga neighbor landowner, . Rights serious and interesting, . Retired Colonel, . district marshal of the nobility - her hard and were arranging a match Pushkin because of this he himself had greatly deteriorated relations with Natalya Ivanovna,
. That Polivanova disliked and prevented, and courtship and matchmaking, by driving it into her head that Polivanov be too much dowry. This happened in 1831. Alexandrine was 20 years old.

Later, in St. Petersburg Alexandra Nikolaevna met with Arkady Osipovich Rosset, brother of the famous maid of honor Smirnova-Rosset, a friend of the family Pushkins. About Arcadia Osipovich Natalia sadly written as a P. Lansky: "This is a long-standing and passionate love between Sashinki" (Save the spelling of the original letter). Rosset, however, did not decide to make proposals. He himself had experienced great financial difficulties, . serving in the Guard, . and then because of the duel and the death of Pushkin and the long absence of Alexandra Nikolaevna - seven years after she had a duel with her sister in Medicine and, . helping her to raise and educate children - feelings Rosset because of the distance fade,
. Marriage never took place.

Daughter Natalia Nikolaevna and PP. Lansky, a well-known writer, novelist A.P. Arapova, . left extensive memoirs, . recalled the, . that the character "Aunt Asi" sometimes becomes unbearable, . more frequent bouts of melancholy, . But Natalia forgave her all because of the dedication and love, . which Alexandrina looked after her and her children in the most difficult years.,

. Even her outright hostility to his second wife, General Lansky
. Due to permanent - hidden and open - clashes with Alexandra Nikolaevna to maintain peace in the family was surprising. But Natalia Nikolaevna succeeded. She believed that in the case of married sisters all unevenness smoothed over her character, and if the marriage is compensated for by children - especially. She was right ...
. In 1852, in Alexandra Nikolaevna passionately in love with an Austrian diplomat Baron Gustav von Vogel Frizengof, . has just lost his first wife, Natalya Ivanovna de Maistre, . which Alexandrina was a great friend and for which faithfully nursed her during her illness,
. Published notes Baron Frizengof Alexandra Nikolaevna, when he was engaged to show that feelings were serious and deep, although both he and Alexandra Nikolaevna were no longer young, especially the notions of the time. Here is one of these notes: "Is it true, dear friend of my heart, that you love me like before. I would be the happiest of men if it was absolutely sure of it ". The signatures on the notes is very touching: "Mademoiselle Alexandrine Goncharova, the best of the Bride," a favorite of brides.

. In the same year, 1852, Alexander N. Vogel became the Baroness von Frizengof and fled with her husband abroad, in Austria-Hungary
. In 1854, she had a daughter, Natalia, named in honor of his beloved younger sister, and baptized in Vienna for the Orthodox rite. With older sister, the Baroness D'Antes, and her family Frizengofy relationship is not supported. Only once, after the death of Ekaterina Nikolaevna, Baroness Alexandrine - so it was called in the secular terms of the many friends - accepted the invitation of the Dutch envoy Gekkerna a formal dinner. As wife of a diplomat, not more. With Natalya Nikolaevna she corresponded until his death that in 1863, has retained the friendly affection of all her children, especially - to the children of Pushkin. In Brodzyany Manor, where she lived in the summer of Alexandra Nikolaevna, and the castle of the Duke of Oldenburg - Earle - certainly kept an extensive archive of letters and documents, but as the archives of many noble families of Europe, it is closed to public access. Letters and diaries are considered marital property, no more ... Although Brodzyanskom castle based Center for the Study of Art Pushkin and Russian Culture, deployed large museum exhibitions. Castle Earle has not been studied so far. All for the same reasons - the aristocratic conventions.
Years of family happiness for Alexandra Nikolaevna's been a long, strong and happy. She lived with her husband 37 years, was brought up, mercilessly ball, two grandchildren. Most participated in the dinners and receptions, musical evenings, which suited her daughter, Duchess of Oldenburg, Natalia Gustavovna. She loved the presentation of a home theater. In the plays often played a minor role.
She calmed down over the years. But maybe it only seemed ...
In its extensive library of preserved copies of books in Russian. Among the works of A. Pushkin. She remembered if it is his long-running St. Petersburg youth, taking them to rukiN.. Course, yes ... I was sorry about something toN Probably only about one thing: that his only daughter Natalia was never able to learn the Russian language. And she has never read a non-translatable strings sometimes brilliant poet, are not able to feel all their charm! Petersburg, Pushkin, Pushkin era increasingly estranged from the "tribe Mlada, wished it to or not ...
. Baroness Alexander N. Vogel von Frizengof, nц?e Goncharova, died "80 years of age in the last decade of the 19 th Century" (N
. Rajewski). She was buried in Brodzyanah, in the family tomb, which stands on the edge of the park, so like her once-native Medicine and park ....