3-095-160 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Bashkirs, 1814. Original title: The Bashkirs, consorts sentenced to Siberia. Alternative title: Two Bashkirs Talking to Three Peasants. The painting was inspired by Allan's travels through the Caucasus and the Caspian Lowlands in 1809-1810. It depicts a nighttime scene, where two Bashkir horsemen are talking to three peasants. It accurately depicts the costumes and weaponry of Bashkir horsemen, who during the Napoleonic Wars served in the Russian army in roles similar to Cossack troops, including active military service and rear-guard escort duties.